Absolute Boyfriend
by RinWyn
Summary: AU - Rogue is having trouble finding a decent guy, and through an odd series of events, ends up getting a pre-ordered Cajun.
1. Chapter 1: Zero9

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel!_

**Author's Note:** I saw a Japanese TV show recently about a girl who ends up ordering a robot that is programmed to be her ideal boyfriend. It was a funny show, and I thought it would be fun to adapt the concept into an AU story. I'm not going to use the whole robot thing… so let's see how it turns out. Hmm.

**Note to ishandahalf:** I haven't forgotten my promise to re-write my other stories. They're not coming out as good as the first round, but I should have one up soon!

--

**Chapter #1: Zero-9**

'Aaaaaaaachooo!'

'Bless ya.' Sam Guthrie reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain handkerchief. 'It's a little nippy out today, ain't it?' He held the handkerchief out to the girl sitting before him.

'Thank ya.' Rogue took it from him and held it between her hands. 'It's so warm!' she said, holding it up to her cheek.

Sam chuckled. 'You're so adorable.'

They gazed momentarily at each other; the man, with short, blonde hair, startling blue-gray eyes, bold, rugged features, and a smile to die for; the girl, with long brown hair around a streak of white, shimmering green eyes, fragile, dainty features, and a heartfelt disposition. They were sitting outside of a café, across the street from where Rogue worked. She had a temporary position at a small art gallery called Waza. Sam Guthrie was a regular visitor at the gallery. He was a self-professed artist, but enjoyed viewing new art more than creating his own.

'Oh stop, you're embarrassin' me.' She blushed, her heart pounding loudly. 'Ah have somethin' Ah wanna show ya.'

She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick piece of paper. She held it out to him.

'What's this?' Sam looked at the paper and saw his own face staring back at him. It was a very accurate and proficient portrait of himself. 'Did you draw this?'

Rogue nodded, still blushing. 'Ah went to an art school but never took it up. Ah guess you can say ya kinda inspired me to start it up again.' Her blush deepened. 'What do ya think?'

Sam smiled. 'Ah think it's brilliant, girl!'

Rogue tried to hide her pleasure in being able to impress him. 'Mr. Guthrie, Ah—'

'You're gonna ask me out, right?' he said, interrupting her.

'Oh!' Rogue's green eyes sparkled with excitement.

'Ah can tell you wanna ask me somethin'. You need advice, right?' He seemed totally oblivious to her intentions. 'Is it 'bout work? Advice 'bout love?' He wiggled his brows.

Rogue's excitement faded. 'No… it's not that…' She didn't want advice on anything. They had been friends for so long, how could Sam not see her feelings for him?

Sam's cellphone suddenly started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the name of the caller. 'Jeez, sorry, Ah gotta go. Ah have a client callin' me.' He stood up and grabbed his jacket.

'Wait!' Rogue also stood up, facing him with a determined expression on her face. 'Ah wanted ta ask ya… what do ya think of me?'

Sam, slightly taken aback, smiled. 'Well… Ah think ya work really hard, and you're a fab artist.' He held up the portrait she had done. 'You're a great _friend_, Rogue.'

'Oh, Ah see.' Was that the sound of her heart breaking?

'Yea, well I gotta go. Keep drawin', Ah'd like ta see more of your work.' He reached out and squeezed her shoulder before heading off towards his car.

Rogue sighed. 'A great friend…?'

--

His dark, red eyes glinted in the dim light. The bars that held him within the small square room could not keep out the golden coloured puppy now licking the tip of his finger. He tilted his head, examining the puppy with a curious look on his face.

'His name is Darwin,' said a familiar voice, and out of the shadows appeared Dr. Henry McCoy. 'I thought you might be lonely, Zero-9, so I brought you this little friend.'

'Dar… win….' Zero-9, his dark, red eyes moving to the puppy once again, smiled. 'Thank… you, Dr. McCoy.'

'His speech is coming along nicely, isn't it?'

Henry, also known as Hank to his friends, turned around and nodded at the second man. 'Yes, indeed, Dr. Essex. He is nearly ready for testing.' Hank turned his eyes on Zero-9 affectionately. 'I am in the process of searching for a female candidate as we speak.'

'If this project is successful, Dr. McCoy, then we will need to move on to the mass production stage.' Dr. Essex's dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

--

Nathaniel Essex, a former scientist, had dedicated the later part of his life to the study of Genetics. He was a renowned Geneticist, but his passion didn't lie solely on the research of the body's makeup. He was, above everything else, a businessman.

Many years ago, when he was teaching at a University, his student and fellow scientist Dr. Henry McCoy proposed the concept of creating the absolute perfect human. Essex readily accepted the proposal. Creating the perfect human being would be an accomplishment far beyond any scientist had ever reached. But as the two young men embarked on this tedious quest, they realized with much disappointment that creating a perfect human being was impossible. After all, the definition of "perfect" was rather subjective. The project was dropped.

But Hank never gave up the idea of creating _perfection_. After graduating, he pondered the notion for many years, until one day, sitting outside the complex where he worked, he found himself observing a young couple across the street. The boyfriend had arrived late, and apparently the girlfriend had waited a good hour for him. She seemed very upset, but the boyfriend couldn't seem to find a decent enough excuse to explain his tardiness. They had a heated argument, in which the girlfriend vented her frustrations, and the boyfriend, flustered, tried disparately to apologize. Eventually the boyfriend, giving up, confessed that he couldn't meet the girl's exaggerated expectations, and stormed off. The girl, throwing her hair over one shoulder in a dismissive manner, crossed the street to where Hank was sitting and sat down at the bus stop. Angrily, she turned to the surprised Doctor – the only other person around – and sighed.

'Why can't a girl find a decent, caring man?' she said, in a frustrated tone.

Hank, completely taken aback, merely shook his head. 'I… do not know?'

The girl scrutinized Hank for a good long moment, before turning away. 'All guys should come with a manual. That way we can figure out how to fix them if they come out demented.' She laughed, but it was an angry laugh. 'Better yet, there should be one huge man-farm. That way all we gotta do is go there, place an order, and have the perfect boyfriend shipped to our door.' As she finished her sentence, the bus arrived and, as if Hank had never existed, she boarded and departed without acknowledging that she had ever spoken to him.

But Hank, for his part, never forgot that girl. Or rather, he never forgot her words. As he sat there, watching the departing bus, his mind began to work overtime. _The perfect boyfriend?_ He suddenly jumped to his feet. _The perfect boyfriend!_ Hurrying back to his lab, which, at that time, he had shared with Nathaniel, he told him all about the couple and how, suddenly inspired, he thought they should resume their previous project. Instead of creating the perfect human being, why not create the _Absolute Boyfriend_?

Nathaniel was hesitant at first, but slowly, as he pondered the idea, he realized that there was an excellent business opportunity present. If they could successfully create the absolute boyfriend, wouldn't every female in the nation want one for herself? The idea seemed quite profitable…

They had gone to the drawing board immediately. It was Hank's job to go out and collect research in order to compile the data needed to create the perfect boyfriend. He interviewed hundreds of women and, drawing upon the experiences of men as well, began mapping out a personality. Nathaniel's job was then to take the data and construct the genetic makeup. With the perfect sperm, and the perfect egg, he began the difficult task.

More years passed. After eight failed experiments, Nathaniel finally managed to produce the perfect body. Zero-9, who had started off as just an organic fetus floating in a test-tube, grew and matured into a dashing young man. He had shoulder length brown hair; rugged, chiseled features; a perfect jaw line; a toned, muscular body; strong, large hands; slim hips; tall height; and above all, a dashing smile. The one fault was his bizarre red-on-black eyes. How these came about was a complete mystery to Nathaniel, but as Hank had pointed out, women liked a mysterious quality in a man.

After creating the human body, Nathaniel's job was done. He didn't want anything more to do with the construction of the project, and so instead dedicated all his time to the business side of things. He was a rather charismatic and influential individual and managed to get various grants from prominent companies.

This left Hank to worry about Zero-9's upbringing. From infancy, Zero-9 was taught, instructed, and guided by Hank. Zero-9 was kept within the walls of the lab, and was only taken outdoors if Hank's lesson required it (i.e. to teach Zero-9 about flowers). All his teachings revolved around the research Hank had collected. Hank wasn't trying to raise a well-rounded individual. He was trying to raise the perfect boyfriend. The conditioning had been hard, grueling work, but eventually Hank had begun to see some signs of success. He would invite some of his female colleagues to test Zero-9 out, and the results had been encouraging.

Zero-9 was now 26 years old, and ignorant about everything in the world except the mindset of women. He slept in a small room with bars along one wall, but had full range of the lab's facilities during the day. He was intelligent, but without a female around, his personality was quite lacking. Zero-9 would only function properly when there was a woman around to activate his reason for being alive.

It would soon be time to find him one…

--

'Perhaps love is, by nature, a rather sorrowful thing,' Essex said, watching the puppy jump in and out of Zero-9's lap. 'However, if the mass production is successful, there will no longer be any more suffering women.' He smirked.

'There will be a lot more single men walking around, though,' Hank replied.

Essex chuckled. 'There will always be those women who cannot afford the Absolute Boyfriend. But first, we have to find ourselves a test subject.'

'True.' Hank nodded. 'I will find Zero-9 the perfect woman. We must do so quickly. Zero-9 may be conditioned into a fine-tuned machine, but he is still a man.'

'Actually…' and here Essex flashed Hank a huge grin. 'I have been working on something.' From his pocket he pulled out a small square memory chip. From the memory chip hung three thin wires. 'I have created a small circuit in Zero-9's brain. Everything that passes through his mind will be backed up and easily transferable to this memory chip. If Zero-9 begins to act out of accordance to his conditioning, it will only be a matter of a few shock currents to set him straight.' He handed the chip to Hank. 'We can also insert any specific features the female customer may want in her Absolute Boyfriend. The data will trigger the right parts of the brain and Zero-9 will instantly adapt to the information.'

Hank stared at Essex. 'But… is that not a bit inhumane?'

Essex laughed. 'My dear friend! You are forgetting that Zero-9 is not just a human. He is a _product_.'

'Yes, indeed. But—'

'It is our responsibility to ensure that our product is safe for the consumer,' Essex continued, interrupting Hank. 'If Zero-9 begins to act out on his own, the consumer will be dissatisfied, and will most likely ask for a refund. We are not creating just another form of man. We are creating the Absolute Boyfriend. He must therefore be… absolute.'

Hank didn't quite like the idea of manipulating Zero-9's thoughts, though the more he thought about it, the more he realized that that was exactly what he had been doing through his teachings. He had to remind himself that Zero-9 was a _product_ before he could be considered human. He sighed. 'So, a product solely dedicated to love…'

Essex smiled. 'Indeed.'

--

'Rejected?' Ororo Munroe finished pouring Rogue a drink and slid it across the countertop of the bar.

'Sucks, don't it?' Rogue took the drink, smiling half-heartedly at the beautiful bartender. She sighed deeply, causing her white bangs to flutter up.

'But you didn't even 'ave de chance to tell him how you feel.' Rogue and Ororo turned to the third woman. She had long, straight blonde hair, startling blue eyes, and a very pretty face. 'Dere's still hope!'

'The outcome woulda been the same, Ah'm sure,' Rogue replied, sighing again. ''Sides, Belle, he just didn't seem int'rested.' She tried to give her friends a smile. 'Ah'm sorry y'all gotta put up with mah woes.'

'Nonsense,' said Ororo.

'Yes, we are friends, after all.' Belle wrapped her arm around Rogue's shoulders encouragingly. 'Dat's what we're here for.'

Rogue smiled. In this world, she had two very dear friends. Ororo Munroe, the tall and slender, white-haired beauty, was perhaps her dearest friend. She was more like an older sister than anything else. She had met Ororo years ago, when she had first moved into the big city. Rogue had found an apartment just down the street from Ororo's bar, which Ororo had named N'dare after her deceased African mother. Ororo had been responsible for showing Rogue how to survive in the big city, and also helped her get the job she now had. Ororo was very mature and very wise, and Rogue often found herself visiting the bar to get Ororo's insight on significant, and not-so-significant, matters. No one knew as much about her as Ororo did.

Her other friend was Bella Donna Boudreaux, affectionately called "Belle" by her friends. She worked at the same gallery as Rogue. Belle had been responsible for training Rogue in her job and they had soon become good friends. Bella Donna was beautiful and very charismatic. She was popular with the local men and was one of the reasons why Waza Gallery was doing so well. She was talented and creative and very aggressive when it came to something she was passionate about. At first Rogue had been rather intimidated by her, but as she got to know Belle, she saw that she was actually quite sweet and caring. Together with Ororo, Belle was always there for Rogue when she needed a sympathetic ear, although Ororo and Belle never did quite get along.

'Anyway, I best get going,' Belle said, looking at the clock behind Ororo's head.

'Boyfriend?' Rogue asked, already knowing the answer. She frowned dejectedly.

'Awww sorry, Rogue! I hate to leave when you're feeling dis low, but I promise to make it up to you.' She turned to Ororo. 'T'anks for de drink.'

'Not a problem,' Ororo said, waving as Belle hurried out the door. Rogue looked after Belle with a pout. Ororo chuckled. 'Oh stop with that pathetic face, Rogue. You will never get a boyfriend with that sour expression.'

'Ororoooooo,' Rogue wined. 'That's mean!'

'Yes yes.' Ororo refilled Rogue's drink. 'Drink up and forget your unrequited love.'

'Unrequited love…' Rogue hung her head, feeling the strings of her heart pulling apart. She had liked Sam from the first time she had set eyes on him. How could she forget her feelings over the course of a drink? She pulled the handkerchief he had lent her out of her pocket.

'What is that?' Ororo asked, nodding her head at the cloth Rogue held in her hands.

'A symbol of Mr. Guthrie's kindness,' Rogue said, looking down at the handkerchief affectionately.

'I thought you said you were going to give up on him?' Ororo shook her head. 'Rogue, this is why you can never find a boyfriend. You are far too sentimental. I can imagine guys get intimidated by you and your feelings.'

Rogue pouted.

'Rogue, you will never be able to find the perfect boyfriend if you continue on like this.'

Rogue knew Ororo well enough to know that the woman had her best interest at heart, and therefore was not offended by Ororo's words. She was just trying to help.

'Ah wanna change, Ororo,' she said, smoothing out the handkerchief on the counter.

'I know you do, child.' Ororo looked up as a few regulars entered her bar. 'Excuse me a second, Rogue.' Ororo grabbed a tray as she went to get their orders.

'You said you would like to change your life?' A bulky man, with brilliant blue hair and round spectacles on his nose, came and sat on the stool beside her. Rogue recognized him as the man who had been sitting at the back of the bar when she had first walked in.

'Excuse me?' Rogue gave him a suspicious look.

The man pulled a business card out of his pocket and held it out to her. She took it. It was a black card, with bold white lettering that said "Sinister Projects". There was no address or location. At the bottom right hand corner there was a phone number, and a name. 'Dr. Henry McCoy…'

'At your service,' replied the man, flashing her a toothy grin.

--

**_A few days later…_**

Rogue looked around the small office. It was rather sterile in appearance. There was a metal desk in the center of the room, a couple of chairs, one computer facing her direction, and a laptop facing Dr. McCoy. There was only one window in the room and Rogue could make out the darkening sky outside.

After her rather short conversation with the strange man at the bar, Rogue had left N'dare feeling rather down. Not only had she been suffering from a broken heart, but also she seemed to have had the word "Pathetic" written across her forehead. She returned from work each night in a worse mood, having witnessing Sam Guthrie act so nonchalant around her. And each night she found herself staring at the business card the man at the bar had given her. She wasn't quite sure what he had been going on about, but as the nights got longer and the days more painful, she decided that she would give the stranger a chance. Who knows, perhaps he really could help her change her life…

And so, here she was.

'Please, have a seat,' Hank said, gesturing at the chair in front of the computer. A woman had walked into the room and now stood behind Hank's chair. She had long, red hair and green eyes that looked at Rogue curiously.

Rogue sat down. The red-haired woman pulled out a camera and instantly took a few of Rogue's pictures. Rogue jumped up, surprised. 'What was that for?'

Hank smiled at her assuredly. 'Just part of the process.'

'What process?'

Hank motioned to the redhead. 'Jean, please give Miss. Darkholme the pamphlet.'

Jean pulled a small booklet out of the desk drawer and handed it to Rogue. Rogue took the book from her and flipped through it.

'This is Dr. Jean Grey. She will be assisting me with your product.'

'Product?' Rogue raised an eyebrow.

Hank nodded, smiling. 'Jean and I are going to introduce you to your absolute ideal boyfriend, free of charge!'

The pamphlet slipped from Rogue's hands. 'Uh… wait. Ah know about this sorta thing. Ah'm not int'rested in a dating service.'

Hank shook his head. 'My dear, we are definitely not that kind of company.'

'Ah'm sorry, but Ah'm not int'rested,' she repeated. She placed the pamphlet on the desk before moving towards the door. Coming here had been a mistake.

'In order to change your life,' Hank said, as she pulled open the door, 'you have to have the courage to take the first step.'

Rogue stopped and looked over her shoulder. 'The first step?'

'Did you not say that you wanted to change?'

Rogue nodded, eyeing him suspiciously.

'Well, now is your chance. Please, listen to what we have to offer. There are no strings attached, and the trial is free of any charges. It is a win-win situation for you.'

Rogue bit her bottom lip. Well, she had nothing to lose… so… 'Alraht, Ah'll listen.'

She walked back into the room.

--

**Author's Note:** So, what do you think? I know it sounds a lil' bizarre right now… but hopefully I'll communicate it well. I'm thinking of a love-triangle… and right now the third person I have in mind is Bobby. Any other suggestions? All reviews welcome!


	2. Chapter 2: What Women Want

Disclaimer: Characters belong to marvel

**Author's Note:** Alrighty, so Bobby it is. :)

--

**Chapter #2: What Women Want**

The briefing took nearly an hour. Hank and Jean told Rogue all about the Absolute Boyfriend project, how they had created the perfect man, and how they needed to test the product before opening it up to consumers. She didn't quite get the whole test-tube thing, but she didn't like the idea of these doctors messing around with an individual's mind, even if the individual was bred for this one purpose. She had a lot of questions for Hank, and Hank answered each one as carefully as he could. It was clear to him that Rogue had a rather strong morale, so he tried to steer her clear of some of the more disturbing aspects of Zero-9's upbringing. Still, Rogue wasn't sure she liked the idea of having a boyfriend who had never set foot in the real world, but Hank had assured her that everything would be just fine. Jean didn't seem to think anything was wrong with it, so Rogue decided to just feel the situation out.

She now sat staring at a computer monitor where she met a series of questions.

'We have developed a way to configure our product's mindset through a small microchip inserted into his brain. We can feed it information according to your preferences.' Jean pointed at the computer screen. The series of questions were part of a survey.

Rogue blinked. 'Y'all have placed a memory chip into his brain?!'

Hank cleared his throat uneasily. 'Not to worry. I will explain it all later. If you could please answer the questions to the survey…' He nodded his head insistently at the computer.

Rogue frowned, and began to read. _ The Absolute Boyfriend's smile is: 1) Refreshing, 2) Cool, 3) Rarely Seen, 4) Bizarre._

Rogue tilted her head, her brow crinkling in thought, and clicked on "1) Refreshing". She felt like she was doing one of those quizzes often found in Women's Magazines.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's intelligence is: 1) High, 2) Low, 3) Normal, 4) Irrelevant._

Rogue clicked on "1) High".

_The Absolute Boyfriend is: 1) Very Jealous, 2) A Little Jealous, 3) Not Jealous, 4) Cold._

Rogue clicked on "2) A Little Jealous".

_The Absolute Boyfriend's body type is: 1) Fit, 2) Thin, 3) Chubby, 4) Heartthrob._

Rogue clicked on "4) Heartthrob" with a giggle. Jean rolled her eyes.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's trustworthiness is: 1) Reliable, 2) Unreliable, 3) Normal, 4) He's a player._

Rogue clicked on "1) Reliable". 'Do gals really evah click on 4?'

Hank nodded. 'Oh, you would be surprised. Some girls find it kinky.'

Rogue made a face. 'Seriously…' She shook her head and continued with the survey.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's personality is: 1) Strict, 2) Lenient, 3) Normal, 4) He's more like a GIRLfriend._

Rogue clicked on "1) Strict", surprising even herself.

_The Absolute Boyfriend is: 1) Very Friendly, 2) Somewhat Friendly, 3) Normal, 4) He's Anti-Social._

Rogue clicked on "3) Normal".

_The Absolute Boyfriend's arguments are: 1) Strong, 2) Weak, 3) Normal, 4) Irrelevant._

Rogue clicked on "1) Strong". She wanted a man who made sense, even when they argued.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's sexual preference is: 1) Adventurous, 2) Slightly Adventurous, 3) Normal, 4) He Likes Doing it Alone._

Rogue's mouse hovered on "3) Normal". She hesitated for a moment, and then clicked on "2) Slightly Adventurous". Hank raised an eyebrow, very amused.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's accent is: 1) English, 2) French, 3) Polish, 4) Insert Choice Here._

'Ah, you can leave this blank if you do not desire an accent,' Hank said, noticing Rogue's questioning gaze. 'When researching, I found that many women were attracted to men with accents, so I included that question.'

Rogue nodded, and clicked on "2) French." She was one such woman.

_The Absolute Boyfriend's mannerisms with other women are: 1) Indifferent, 2) Boy Scout Polite, 3) Nervous, 4) Flirtatious._

Rogue clicked on "4) Flirtatious".

Hank raised his brow. 'Really?'

Rogue nodded. 'Might as well add some spice ta the relationship, raht?'

Hank chuckled. _This girl has spunk_. 'Now,' he said, seeing that Rogue was almost done, 'feel free to add any additional requests in the space provided.'

Rogue thought for a bit. There were so many things she wanted to write here. She wanted unconditional love. She wanted someone who could understand her. She wanted a caring and charming person. She wanted to feel safe and secure at all times when she was with him. She wanted someone who would never leave her side.

Finally, she ended up writing: "I want someone who will accept me for who I am".

'Excellent,' Hank said, excitedly, when Rogue hit the "Submit" button. He hurried to the printer where the final pages of the contract, which now included her demands, were being printed. He stapled the sheets together and placed them before her. 'You may read the contract thoroughly. Then please sign on the dotted line.'

Rogue took a moment to read haphazardly through the papers, and then signed the bottom of the last page.

'With this, you are taking that first step to changing your life!' Hank said, taking the signed contract back from her.

Rogue stared at him. He was rather strange, this doctor. 'Yea… thanks…'

--

A week had passed, and Rogue had heard nothing from Sinister Projects. She hadn't told either of her friends about her strange encounter with Dr. McCoy. There were two reasons for this. One was that Dr. McCoy had stressed the importance of this whole trial being a secret. No one was to know about the product – yet – and definitely not about Zero-9 and his bizarre existence. The other reason was because Rogue wasn't quite sure she understood entirely what she was getting into.

After coming home from her meeting with Dr. McCoy, and during the days that had followed, she had re-evaluated her visit to the Doctor. From what she could gather, they wanted her to test out a product they were making for consumer consumption. However, this product was simply a human being bred in a lab…. Dr. McCoy had assured her, however, that the human was less like a human being and more like an appliance. He was conditioned, or "programmed", to be the specific client's Absolute Boyfriend. His actions were a result from years of instructing, and, further, a simple memory chip installed in his brain could control him.

At the time of the meeting, Rogue wasn't able to grasp all this information. Not only was she thrust into this project with very little time given to think things over, but she had also been recuperating from a broken heart, and therefore had been quite vulnerable. At the time, the thought of a perfect boyfriend being made just for her was welcoming. A week later, and having finally read through the pamphlet they had given her, she wasn't so sure she liked the idea of having a man-made boyfriend. There was something disturbingly unnatural about it all.

On this particular morning, she had gotten up early to get ready for work. She was now being given regular hours and had no desire to mess things up. Her job was only temporary, but if all things went well, her Boss at Waza Gallery would perhaps consider her for a fulltime position.

Rogue was running her brush through her long, wavy brown hair when the bell rang.

'Huh? Who could that be this early in the mornin'?

She hurried through her small apartment and opened the door.

Two men in white coats pushed passed her, carrying between them a gurney. On this gurney lay a man, but Rogue didn't have time to observe much more. Dr. McCoy and Dr. Grey had just entered the foyer.

'Ah, Miss. Darkholme!' Hank exclaimed, grabbing her hand in a hearty shake. 'So good to see you!'

Rogue, a little overwhelmed by all the sudden commotion in her apartment, managed a smile. 'Hi… uh… Ah wasn't expect—'

But Hank cut her off before she could say anything else. 'We have come to deliver your product,' he said, and ushered Rogue into her own living area, where the other two men had placed the gurney. The men took their leave, leaving Rogue alone with Hank, Jean, and an unconscious body.

'Is… that…?' Rogue whispered, pointing at the gurney.

'Indeed! Your Absolute Boyfriend!' Hank moved towards the body and patted it on the forehead affectionately.

The body, Rogue noticed, was covered in a white sheet from chin to toe. The sleeping face was rather handsome.

'He won't be waking up for another six hours,' Jean informed her, seeing the nervous look on Rogue's face. She pulled a folder out of her leather bag and took from it a piece of paper. This she handed to Rogue. 'That's his profile. His product name is Zero-9, but we've given him the name of Remy LeBeau – we thought we'd make it sound a little French, as per your instructions.'

'Oh, Ah see…' Rogue said, only barely recalling what Jean was referring to.

'About that,' Hank spoke up, moving away from the body. 'I found it really hard conditioning Zero-9 to speak with an authentic French accent, given that I only had a week.' He gave Rogue a sloppy smile, clearly disappointed in this failure. 'His accent sounds more Cajun than French, but it is close enough. The data has been saved in his memory chip, so he should remain consistent with it.'

Jean nodded in affirmation. 'Now, about this memory chip…' She pulled from her bag a rather thick book. 'This is a manual for Zero-9. Although he's a human being, he works a lot like an appliance. He's pretty user friendly, but you have to be careful that he doesn't damage his memory chip. If anything happens to it, you have to call us immediately.'

Rogue nodded, her head whirling. She took the manual from Jean. It weighed a ton.

'Now, if you have any questions,' Jean continued, closing the clasp to her bag, 'feel free to notify Dr. McCoy.'

'Wait!' There was a sudden urgency in Rogue's voice. 'What am Ah supposed ta do with him…?' She waved her hand at the sleeping body. 'Ah have ta go to work soon… an' he'll prob'ly wake up while Ah'm still there…'

Hank smiled. 'You have nothing to worry about, Miss. Darkholme. Zero-9 is perfectly conditioned to behave as _your _Absolute Boyfriend. When he awakens, he will function according to your needs and wants… even if you are not here. He will take the time during your absence to observe your living space and learn a little about this enviro—'

'Ya mean he's gonna live here?!' Rogue asked, feeling her cheeks burn red. 'Being mah boyfriend is one thing, but being a boyfriend Ah live with is a completely different thing! Ah've nevah lived with a man before!'

Jean rolled her eyes. 'He's not a man. He's a product. And of course he has to live here. No one is to find out that he's "programmed" in any way.'

'Zero-9 is perfectly capable of surviving on his own,' Hank nodded, assuredly. 'But he needs to remain with you at all times. For his own safety.'

'But… how will he know who Ah am?' Rogue asked, putting a hand to her head. This was all just way too bizarre for her. 'Ah mean, Ah won't be here when he wakes up…'

'He already knows who you are,' Hank replied, sounding excited. He had been waiting for this question. 'We have fed him all the information you shared with us about yourself during our consultation meeting. We have also shown him the photograph we had taken of you. He is already madly in love with you.'

'With me?' Rogue frowned. 'Because he's been conditioned to…'

Jean nodded. 'Precisely. Looks like you're finally catching on.' She turned towards Hank. 'We better get going, Dr. McCoy.'

Hank looked down at his watch and frowned. 'Indeed.' He picked up his own bag and followed Jean towards the door.

'Oh! Don't leave!' Rogue said, pulling at his arm. 'What if it… what if it…'

'"It", Miss. Darkholme, is called Remy LeBeau, and he is still sleeping.' He gazed at her encouragingly. 'Do not fear him. He lives for _you_.'

'But—'

'Just wait and see.' And with that, Hank and Jean slipped out of the door before Rogue could stop them.

Rogue cursed as the door closed in her face. Slowly, she turned around and gazed at the man lying on a gurney in her apartment. His chest rose and fell with each sleeping breath he took.

On timid toes, she crept closer to him and peered down at his sleeping face. He had longish brown hair that fell around his face and bare neck. His had a nicely sized forehead and fine brows. His closed eyes remained peaceful. He had a slim nose and full, handsome lips. On his strong, square chin she could make out a faint dimple. 'Mah… they sure made him nice,' she said, in spite of herself. She narrowed her brows and took in the rest of him. He was covered completely with the white sheet, and she wondered if he was wearing anything underneath. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she reached out a hand to pull the sheet away.

As if on cue, the clock on her bookshelf began to chime, indicating the new hour. Rogue retracted her hand, as if burnt, and took a step back from the gurney. She eyed the clock, alarmed.

'OH NO! Ah'm gonna be late for work!' she exclaimed. She hurried into her room to grab her bag and dashed through the living area, through the kitchen, and out into the hall. She hastily locked her door and sprinted for the elevator, momentarily forgetting – in her haste – all about the sleeping man in her apartment.

--

Robert (Bobby) Drake sat hunched over in his seat. His elbow rested on the sleek top of the table, his chin firmly panted in the palm of his hand. He looked around the room with lazy eyes, quietly humming a song in his head. Beside him, Scott Summers droned on and on about the upcoming exhibition they were going to have at their gallery, and Bobby had absolutely no interest in the subject. He liked Scott a great deal – after all, they had both been adopted by Charles Xavier, owner of Waza Gallery, when they had been young boys, thereby making them brothers – but man, was he boring!

Bobby turned his bored eyes to his brother. He couldn't understand Scott at all. The eldest of the two, Scott was dubbed as Xavier's heir, which suited Bobby perfectly. He wasn't quite sure he liked the Art world, and he definitely didn't like the business side of things. Scott, who was organized, smart, and hardworking, fit the job description quite well. He was also quite handsome, in that clean-cut, boy scout sort of way. His brown hair was always parted down one side and set perfectly. He wore ironed suits with matching ties. His shoes were always polished. He carried about him an air of refinement, and many of the girls working at the gallery were often caught fawning over him.

But Scott Summers remained, and this Bobby could not understand, single. Scott had everything going for him, and yet he'd never had a long-term girlfriend before. If Scott hadn't been his brother, Bobby would have thought him a little pathetic. After all, the reason Scott had remained single for so long was because he was dedicated 100 to his work. This was in complete contrast with Bobby himself, who even now, while trying to keep awake during this very important meeting, kept thinking about the girl he had dated last night. What was her name again? Who cares, she had the best set of legs he had seen in a very long time.

Across the long table from Bobby sat Rogue, her eyes transfixed on Sam Guthrie. Scott had invited Sam to this meeting, since one of his own works was going to be included in the upcoming exhibition. Scott had thought that perhaps Sam, as an artist, would have some interesting opinions on how to set the exhibition up, and Sam wasn't about to disappoint. He was talking now, about colours, booths, and brochures. Rogue wasn't really paying attention. She was too busy admiring Sam's startling blue-gray eyes.

'Isn't Guthrie looking hot today?' Belle whispered to Rogue, as she pretended to take notes. 'If you don't hurry, someone will snatch him up.'

Rogue, jumping out of her reverie, frowned. 'Ah don't care,' she whispered back, but Belle looked unconvinced.

'Look, I know Ororo t'inks you need to move on, but she doesn't understand your feelings like I do.' She gave Rogue's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Rogue pouted. 'Yea… mebbe…'

'You just have to give dis one more try,' Belle encouraged. 'Just one more.'

Rogue nodded. _Just one more try…_

--

Rogue sighed as she reached into her purse for her keys. It had been a hard day at work. After the meeting, they had been instructed to renovate the west wing of the gallery to make space for the exhibition. Rogue, along with the other employees, spent the rest of the day taking down artwork, rearranging the portable walls, and then painting them all white. As she fumbled for her keys, her entire body aching, she wanted nothing more than to get into her apartment and draw herself a nice, hot bath.

Her apartment wasn't very large, but because of its open concept, Rogue felt it was more like a loft, and therefore found it very roomy. Upon entering from the main door, one would find a kitchen to the right, squared off by two counter islands. To the left was the bathroom, and straight ahead was the largest area of the apartment – the living space. A door to the left of the living space led to Rogue's bedroom. To the right she had set up a small studio. Blank canvas lined the wall, with a vacant easel leaning against the window.

Rogue didn't have a lot of furniture. She didn't make a lot of money at her job, and didn't have much of a family to rely on. She had a mother, but it had been years since Rogue had last seen her. She had never met her father. Much of what she owned had been bought on sale, or otherwise handed down to her by Ororo.

But her apartment was her own, and she couldn't think of a better place to kick back and relax in.

Finally managing to find her keys, she unlocked her door and stepped inside. Instantly she felt that something was amiss. She looked into the kitchen and saw that all her dishes from this morning had been washed and put away. She walked into her living space and noticed that all the magazines had been piled neatly on her coffee table and the cushions for her couch were lying neatly where they belonged. She stuck her head into the bedroom. The bed was made and her Pjs were folded neatly on her chair.

'What the…'

It wasn't until she heard the toilet flush in her bathroom that she recalled the events of that morning. She head whipped around the living space in search of the gurney, but it was gone. Then, as the hairs rose on the back of her neck, she heard the unmistakable footsteps of a slow stride. Quietly, with her eyes wide and her lips pursed into a straight line, Rogue turned around.

Her bag dropped from her trembling hands. Before her stood, completely naked and with a smile on his handsome face, Remy LeBeau.

'Hullo, Rogue,' he said, taking a step closer. 'It's fin'lly nice to meet you.'

Rogue screamed. She ran into her kitchen, grabbed her frying pan, and held it over her head. 'Stay where you are!' she demanded, for Remy had taken a step towards her.

Remy tilted his head to one side. 'Don't be scared, petite. It's me, you're absolute boyfriend.' He extended his hand to shake hers.

Rogue eyed the hand suspiciously. She tried to keep her eyes off his naked body, and so instead looked up into his eyes. 'Ya have red eyes…' she said, suddenly.

Remy's smile faltered for just a second. 'Dey couldn't change dem. But I can wear de contacts if you prefer anot'er colour.' His hand was still outstretched.

'It… doesn't matter…' she said, shaking her head.

'Do you like dem just as dey are?' he asked. 'You're very sweet, Rogue.'

'H-how'd you know mah name?'

Remy took another step forward. Rogue raised the frying pan higher. 'You can put de pan down, petite.'

'Then stop coming closer!' She waved the pan threateningly in the air. 'A-an' answer mah question!

Remy frowned, and took a step back, dropping his extended hand to his side. 'Anyt'ing for you, chere. I know your name because you be my girlfriend. Rogue Darkholme.'

Rogue pouted. She had forgotten about his conditioning. 'Why aren't ya wearin' any clothes?'

Remy looked down at his naked body and grinned foolishly. 'I don't have any clot'es.'

'You don't have any clothes at all? Like… none?'

Remy shook his head, frowning. 'But I have a dog. Darwin.'

Rogue gawked at him. 'Wait, what?'

'Hank gave him to me because I was lonely. He's such a tiny little t'ing. But I don't miss him at all. Do you know why, Rogue?'

Rogue shook her head, trying to keep up with Remy's train of thought.

'Because I have you.' He gave her a dashing smile.

Rogue rolled her eyes. 'Ya don't even _know_ me. An' we're not talkin' 'bout this dog of yours. We're talkin' 'bout your clothes. What did Dr. McCoy do with the clothes you wore when you went out?'

The smile from Remy's face faded and he scratched his head. 'Went out?'

Rogue put the pan down. She deduced that Remy was most likely harmless. After all, he was a product, not a real man… right? Besides, her arm was beginning to ache from holding it up in the air. 'Never mind. Come with me.' Moving around him in a wide circle, she led the way into her bedroom, pan back in hand. 'Wait, you stay here,' she said, as she reached her bedroom door. Remy stopped, and watched Rogue disappear into her room. She returned five minutes later, carrying a pair of gray sweat pants and a black hoodie. 'These are the baggiest things Ah own,' she said, handing them to him. 'Wear them for now, while we go shoppin'.'

She went back into her bedroom to retrieve her purse. When she reentered the living area, Remy had dressed.

'How do I look?' he said, giving her a nervous smile.

Rogue had to bite her lips to keep back her laugher. The sweats, which had been so baggy on her, were very tight on Remy. The bottom of the pants barely reached his mid-calf, leaving his lower leg and ankles bare. The arms of the hoodie were far too short and Remy's belly button could be seen poking out from below the hoodie's waistline. 'Yea… we definitely need to go shopping…'


	3. Chapter 3: Tactics

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to Marvel!_

--

**Chapter #3: Tactics**

Rogue walked down the busy street in the city's shopping district, clearly aware of the people staring at them. Remy was walking exactly one metre to the right of her, as per her heated instructions. He had attempted to hold her hand numerous times, and was even bold enough to wrap his arm around her shoulders. She had angrily pushed him away and had demanded that he remain at least one metre away from her at all times. He had complied, but she hadn't failed to notice the look of confusion in his bizarre eyes. Rogue wasn't sure if people were staring at the two of them because of the way they were now walking, or because of the way Remy was dressed. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his appearance was comedic and that guys didn't normally wear female sweats four sizes too small, nor walk around in bare feet. He also didn't seem to think anything was wrong with the way people were staring at them, and every time Rogue glanced his way, he smiled back affectionately.

'Will ya stop that?' she snapped, annoyed. She was starting to feel frustrated at the very sight of him, although she was vexingly aware that it wasn't his fault. She had signed the contract with Sinister Projects on a whim, without realizing the full repercussions of her actions. How had she not realized that she was binding herself to another human being – a human being bred in a lab? Dr. Grey had said that Remy was nothing more than an appliance. But the man walking beside her now was definitely not an appliance. He was very much a human being, regardless of all the techy ways they had come up with at Sinister Projects to control him. He was a walking, talking, breathing man with incredibly good looks and a voice that personified melting chocolate. She couldn't just see him as an appliance, and as a result couldn't stomach the way he was so affectionate towards her. He was a stranger. They had only just met less than an hour ago. And yet he claimed to be whole-heartedly in love with her. How could this be? Rogue just couldn't wrap her brain around it.

'Stop what, chere?'

'Stop starin' at me like that!' She turned off the street and entered a Shoe Shop. Remy followed behind her, exactly one metre in distance.

'Like what?' He wore that same confused expression she was getting used to seeing on his face.

'Like ya have feelin's for me.' She headed straight for the Men's section.

'But of course I have de feelings for you, Rogue,' he said, as he watched her look over some casual sneakers. 'You be my girlfriend.'

'Ah am, am Ah?' She pulled a pair of plain white Converse shoes off the shelf. 'When did ya ask me out? When did ya confess your feelin's for me? When did ya ask me ta be yours?' She stared sternly at him, knowing that all her questions were unfair because she knew Remy wasn't capable of answering them.

He tilted his head to one side. 'But I be your Absolute Boyfriend, chere.'

Rogue sighed. 'Because you're conditioned to be. These feelin's o' yours ain't real.'

Remy scratched his head. 'I love you, Rogue.'

Rogue slapped her forehead. 'Not this again…' She held the shoes up to his face, dismissing the conversation. 'What size are ya?'

'Size?'

'Oh jeez, gimme a break…'

She hailed over a salesman and got Remy's feet measured. The salesman kept staring at Remy's attire, and then at Rogue.

'He's from outta town…' she said, answering the salesman's questioning gaze. He seemed unconvinced, but continued to help them. In the end, Rogue purchased tw pairs of shoes for Remy: white K-Swiss sneakers and brown Hush Puppies. She was a little annoyed that she had to spend her hard earned money on an otherwise naked Cajun, but any excuse to go shopping was a _good _excuse.

Remy opted to wear the sneakers out of the store, and Rogue picked up a few extra pairs of socks for good measure. They're next stop was a clothing store.

Rogue had never shopped for a man before and found the experience a lot less exhilarating. For one thing, they had a lot less variety. There weren't a lot of styles or colours to choose from. But she found it fun dressing Remy up. He didn't seem to have any specific preferences, and gave her free rein to choose for him whatever she liked. At this very moment he was in the dressing room, trying on a pair of dark Levis jeans. Rogue pulled a few t-shirts off the shelf and grabbed a black sweater. 'Hmmm… this would look good with the khakis…'

Remy stepped out of the changing room. On top of the Levis he was wearing a white zipped up hoodie to match his white sneakers, a black t-shirt visible at the collar. Rogue's eyes widened slightly. _Oh mah… he's kinda hot…_

'De clot'es you chose, dey feel good,' he said, looking at his reflection in the mirror. 'Do you t'ink I look sexy?'

Rogue chocked on her own words. 'Uh… ya look good, Remy. Anythin' beats having you walk around naked.'

Remy chuckled. 'If you like dese clot'es, Rogue, den I like dese clot'es, too.' He flashed her a brilliant smile.

Rogue rolled her eyes. 'Whatevh. Beggars can't be choosers.' She passed him another pile of clothes to try on and he disappeared once more into the changing room.

'Your boyfriend's quite charming.'

Rogue turned around upon hearing those words and found herself facing an elderly woman. She had purplish-white hair, horned-rimmed glasses, and a pleasant face. 'Oh… uh… he's not mah boyfriend.' She waved a hand before her as if to dismiss the idea.

The old lady chuckled. 'Oh, is that right? Well, all the same, he's quite charming. Not every man let's a woman do his shopping for him.'

Rogue nodded nervously. 'Well… he's from outta town.'

'So he doesn't know how to dress?' The old lady gave Rogue a knowing smile. 'Right.'

Rogue frowned, narrowing her brows in frustration. 'No, really, he's—' But before she could finish her sentence, Remy pulled back the curtain and called for her. Rogue glanced over her shoulder towards the changing room and saw him standing there shirtless, staring at the belt in his hand.

'Rogue, what dis for?' he asked, holding up the belt.

'It's ta keep your pants up,' she said, turning back to the old woman, who stared at Rogue questioningly.

'How does it work?' Remy asked, from behind her.

Rogue slapped her brow. She knew the old lady would think it was weird that Remy didn't know what a belt was, but she was surprised to find the woman grinning at her.

'I think he wants you to help him with it,' she said, her toothy grin widening.

Rogue groaned. 'Really, he's not mah boyfriend!' She was relieved that the woman hadn't taken Remy's question seriously, and instead had assumed it was Remy's way of luring Rogue into the changing room with him.

'My dear, enjoy your youth while you still can! If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to resist that handsome smile of his.' The woman winked at Rogue before turning back to her own shopping, and said, 'go help him with his belt before another woman does.'

Rogue stood there gawking at the woman for a good minute before Remy called for her again. She turned on her heels and stalked towards him. 'What?!' she snapped.

Remy held up the belt. 'Dis…'

Rogue sighed, pushed him back into the changing room, and stepped in after him. She grabbed one end of the belt and started to weave it through the straps on the khakis he was wearing. She was tantalizingly aware that he was staring intently at her face, which was so close to his bare chest.

'Hey, Rogue…' he whispered, and she could feel his warm breath against her ear.

'What?' she said, her hands slipping at the last strap.

'Don't you like dis Cajun better wit'out de pants?'

Rogue fastened his belt, tight, and smirked when Remy pulled back, gasping. His hands flew down to the belt buckle and he loosened it by four notches.

'Dat hurt, chere!'

Rogue shrugged, and stepped out of the changing room. 'Good. Your ego needed ta be wounded.'

--

Back at the apartment, Rogue faced a new dilemma. Her apartment only had one bedroom, with one bed, and she had no desire to forfeit her own comforts for Remy's. As she glanced around the living area, her eyes fell on the couch.

'You sleep there,' she said, pointing at the lumpy couch.

Remy nodded. 'Is dis where you sleep, too, Rogue?'

Rogue shook her head. 'No, Ah sleep in there.' She pointed at the bedroom.

'Den Remy sleeps dere, too.' He took a few steps towards her room, but Rogue threw her body against the bedroom door, barricading the entrance from him.

'Oh no ya don't! You sleep on the couch.' She glared at him.

Remy scratched his head, pouting slightly. 'Okay, Rogue. I understand.' He turned around and went to the couch. 'I'll sleep now, chere. Sleep sweet.'

Rogue, a little surprised by his unwavering obedience, nodded. 'Yea… goodnight…'

As she turned around and entered her bedroom, she heard him call "I love you" after her. Rogue shuddered. It was an odd sensation hearing a perfect stranger say that to her with such affection in his tone of voice.

She began stripping out of her clothes, wondering how long this trial with Sinister Projects would last. The idea of having an ideal boyfriend was very appealing, but having the idea executed in reality was not exactly what she had anticipated. It was hard for her to put into words what the feeling was like, to suddenly have a strange man devote 100 of all his thoughts to her. She had no history with Remy. There wasn't a common connection she could rely on. He was just suddenly there. She hadn't even gotten the chance to get used to his presence, let-alone accept him as her boyfriend.

She let her clothes fall to the floor as she stretched her aching muscles. It had been a long day and she had forgotten to eat dinner. She never did get that bath she had been yearning for, but decided that it was too late for that now. Besides, she would have to cross the living area to get to the bathroom, and she had no desire to bump into Remy again. She had had enough of his romantic ogling for one day.

'Hey, chere. Let's have sex.'

Rogue jumped, her hands and arms moving over her body to cover as much of her nakedness as she could. Her head whipped around and she found Remy, naked once more, standing on the threshold of her bedroom. He was leaning against the doorframe, his red eyes narrowed and his handsome mouth curved in a seductive smile.

'What? No!' She bent down and grabbed her t-shirt. She pulled it over her head and tugged at it hard to cover her waist and hips. 'How dare you!' She strode towards him and gave him a hard shove out of her room.

'Chere, what's wrong?!' Remy asked, sounding alarmed. He held his hands up in surrender, hoping this would calm her down a bit.

'YOU'RE what's wrong, you Cajun robot,' she spat, through clenched teeth. 'Ya can't just go bargin' in on me when Ah'm changin' mah clothes.'

'But you be my girlfriend,' Remy said, softly. 'It on'y be natural dat we have se—'

'Listen,' Rogue said, cutting him off. 'Ah'm not your girlfriend. Ah'm just a fool who got stuck in this mess. The sooner ya realize this, the better off ya'll be.'

'But I love you, Rogue.' Remy took a step back upon noticing the anger in Rogue's eyes. Had he said something wrong?

'Ah wanna go to sleep,' Rogue said, forcing herself to remain calm in order to keep herself from yelling. 'Ah have ta get up for work early tomorrow mornin'. Ah want ya ta stay here.' She was going to instruct him to put some clothes on, but recalled that she hadn't bought him any pajamas. 'Can ya do that for me?'

Remy nodded. He had completely backed off now, and looked at her with a mixture of hurt and confusion in his eyes. Rogue felt a tinge of guilt. His actions weren't his own fault… but could she completely blame his conditioning? After all, he was a man, and therefore capable of his own thoughts…

'Good night, Remy,' she said. She turned around and disappeared into her room.

Remy sat for a long while staring at Rogue's closed door. He tried to figure out what he was doing wrong, but every time his mind tried to think on its own, the memory chip would kick in and steer his thoughts elsewhere. What he could recall was Hank clearly informing him that Rogue Darkholme was his girlfriend and that he needed to devote everything he had to her ever whim. But Rogue wasn't behaving like his girlfriend. She was showing no indication that she liked him at all. Was this his fault? Was he failing her somehow? He shuddered, as the memory chip gave him another jolt. He felt tired, but sleep wouldn't come. He remained where he was, staring now at the metal bracelet on his wrist. The band of light that covered half the bracelet blinked red. Remy frowned, his head sagging.

--

'This is not good.' Hank stared at his computer monitor, where a small circular icon was flashing the colour red. 'The bracelet is emitting a red light.'

Essex came and stood behind Hank's chair. 'What is this bracelet you talk of?'

'I secured a bracelet on Zero-9's wrist before dropping him off at Miss. Darkholme's apartment. It works like a mood ring, only accurately. It picks up on the moods of the person Zero-9 cares for, and translates that mood into colour.' Hank pointed at the screen. 'I figured this would be a good way of tracking Zero-9's progress throughout this test.'

Essex nodded, clearly impressed. 'And what does red mean?'

'The bracelet will emit a red light when Zero-9 is faced with someone who is angry, or when he has upset someone. It will emit a white light when someone is happy, and emit a blue light when someone is sad. The emotional data gathered from his bracelet is transmitted to this computer.'

Essex stared at the blinking red icon. 'So it seems Zero-9 has upset his owner.'

'Indeed.'

'How fascinating, Dr. McCoy. We must continue to monitor Zero-9's behavioral patterns. This will provide valuable information for when we are ready for the next stage in development. The mass production stage. I do not want you to spoil Zero-9, Dr. McCoy. I want you to abuse him. It is important that we seek out all his faults and failures.'

Hank nodded. 'As you wish.'

--

Rogue cracked open one eye, and then slowly cracked open the other. Warm beams of sunshine caressed her face and she smiled in spite of herself. She sat up in bed and stretched, one hand shielding the yawn escaping her mouth. She glanced over at her clock and was surprised to find that she had awoken a half hour before it was necessary. Normally she slept in and would have to scramble to get herself ready for work. As she looked around her room, the smell of green onions and tomatoes invaded her senses, and she realized, as her stomach growled in submission, that it was this that had awoken her.

She got up and, running her fingers through her tussled hair, stepped out of her bedroom. She glanced momentarily at the couch, and noticed that it appeared untouched. She glanced up, and across the living space saw Remy hunched over the stove in the kitchen, his back to her.

She slowly walked through her apartment, the sound of her steps muffled by the carpet. To Remy's right, the toaster sprung forth perfectly toasted bread. Remy grabbed these and placed them on a plate, smoothing both with creamy butter.

He turned around to place the plate on the counter, and saw Rogue standing there. He flashed her a cheerful smile. 'Good morning, chere!' He was wearing her apron – white with pink stripes – and a pair of jeans, but he remained shirtless and barefooted.

Rogue's lips curved into a half-smile. She eyed Remy carefully as he went back to flipping what she noticed now was an omelet. She had expected him to be upset after the way she had acted the night before, and yet he seemed cheerful and light-hearted. Rogue frowned. No doubt this unnatural reaction of his to her behaviour was a result of his conditioning. He had probably been programmed to overlook or accept her tantrums. However, when Remy turn around again to slip some omelet onto her plate, she noticed the dark lines underneath his eyes. He looked tired and pale. She looked over her shoulder and glanced again at the couch. It was definitely untouched; the cushions were puffy and remained in the same position they were in last night.

Rogue frowned as she slid herself onto a stool at the kitchen counter. Had Remy stayed awake the entire night? _Why…?_

'Do you want de ketchup?' he asked, sliding her plate towards her.

Rogue shook her head and picked up her fork, still eyeing him carefully. 'Remy… how did ya sleep las' night?'

Remy shrugged. 'Fine, chere.' He turned away from her eyes, and began cleaning up the frying pan. 'I t'ink drinking de milk is better den drinking de tea in de morning,' he said. 'It will give you more energy for work.'

_Is he tryin' ta change the subject?_ 'Ya look kinda tired, Remy…'

Remy shrugged again, but said nothing. When he had cleaned the pan, he poured her a glass of milk and placed it beside her plate. 'Chere… how come you not eating anyt'ing?'

Rogue looked down at her plate, and sure enough the food remained untouched. Her stomach growled loudly and she gave Remy a sheepish smile. She forked some omelet into her mouth and instantly savoured the welcoming texture. 'Mah, Remy! This is delicious!'

Remy beamed at her. 'I'm glad you like it, Rogue! Cooking's always fun when you do it for de one you love.' He winked at her.

Rogue had half a mind to roll her eyes at him, but decided instead to enjoy her meal. It was clear to her that Remy had been effected by her words from last night, and she decided to it would be best to keep her cool. After all, he couldn't help the way he was.

She cleaned up her plate, very much aware that Remy had been watching her eat adoringly, and gulped down her milk. 'Ah have ta get ready for work,' she said, dropping her plate and cup into the sink. 'Ah'll be gone all day.'

Remy nodded, pulling the apron off, as Rogue disappeared into her room. As she changed, she called out some house rules: 'Make sure ya don't open the door if some one rings the bell, and if ya go out, leave the key in the mailbox. Feel free ta make yourself at home here, but mah room is definitely off limits. Don't eat everythin' in the fridge. Ah'm on a budget.' She came out of her room, now fully dressed for work, and checked her watch. 'We're workin' on a project at work right now, so Ah'll prob'ly be home late. Don't worry 'bout waitin' up for me.'

She made her way towards the door, Remy following behind her. He held the door open for her as she slipped on her shoes.

'Have a good day at work, chere,' he said, as she slipped passed him.

Rogue turned around and smiled. 'Thanks.' As she walked down the hallway towards the elevator, she couldn't help but blush slightly. Regardless of her whole ordeal with Remy, it felt rather nice hearing him wishing her a good day while wearing nothing but a pair of jeans over his toned, tanned body.

--

Emma Frost twirled around in her office chair, her long, blonde hair lifting in the air. 'I think we're about done here,' she said, addressing the other girls. Emma worked in the promotions department at Waza gallery, and was overseeing the exhibition project. She was an intelligent, hardworking woman who was well liked by her peers. She never stressed over anything and always got the job done.

Behind the rooms of the gallery, which were open to the public, was a spacious office reserved for employees. Everyone had a desk here, except for Scott and Xavier, both of whom had their own offices. Bobby was the man in charge of the shared office, and Emma was second in command. 'Let's go out for lunch.' She stood up, followed by a few others.

'Go on wit'out us,' Belle said, helping Rogue sort out a pile of brochures. 'We still 'ave some work to do.'

Emma nodded, and as she left the office, Sam Guthrie entered. He was talking with Bobby regarding his art submission. Rogue watched him enter, and instantly started fixing her hair.

Belle rolled her eyes. 'You still 'aven't told him how you feel, have you.'

Rogue shook her head. Sam had caught her eye and he waved at her. Rogue waved back, blushing. 'Ah can't,' she said, turning back to her work.

'Look, Rogue, dat won't do. Love is about de tactics.' She grabbed Rogue and pulled her towards her own desk, away from Sam and Bobby.

'Tactics?'

Belle nodded. 'You know, like making him jealous.'

Rogue thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. 'Nah, Ah can't do somethin' like that.'

Belle frowned. 'Why not? Don't you 'ave any hot guy friends?'

Rogue signed. 'Are ya kiddin' me?'

'What about me?'

Rogue and Belle looked up, both startled. Bobby had come towards them, his hands shoved in his pockets. Sam was no longer in the room, and Bobby seemed to have overheard the last bit of their conversion.

'I can be your hot friend,' he added, winking at Rogue.

Rogue looked away, shaking her head. 'That's not necessary, Boss.'

Belle chuckled. 'Non, definitely not. Besides, we said we needed de _hot_ friends.'

Bobby placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be wounded. 'Hey now, that hurt.' He leaned against Belle's desk. Bobby, although being the boss's son, had a friendly rapport with his staff. They all knew he wasn't serious about his job, and that he spent most of his time talking to girls on the phone. But he was good-natured and always treated his employees with respect, which in turn got some respect from them. 'Anyways, let me guess. If you're trying to make a guy jealous, you've failed to win him over with your natural charm.'

Rogue frowned and Belle laughed. 'It gets worse,' Belle said, patting Rogue on the back. 'She be de type of girl—'

'Oh stop it already,' Rogue said, clearly annoyed. She turned to Bobby. 'Did ya need me for anythin', or ya just came over to poke some fun at me?'

Bobby smirked and ran a hand through his blonde hair. 'Don't be vexed, Rogue. I was only joking. But really, I did want to ask you something.' He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. 'Today, when you said that there wasn't something right about that landscape painting, were you serious?'

Rogue looked up at him, confused. She thought back to this morning, when a few of the paintings that were going to be displayed in the exhibition had arrived at the gallery. She suddenly recalled the one painting of a gray cityscape. There had been nothing spontaneous or even thought-provoking about it, and she had turned to Belle and had expressed her confusion as to why it was being displayed. She had felt that it was incomplete – that something wasn't right about it. Had Bobby overheard her? 'Oh… that…' She wondered if he had been insulted by her remark. After all, most of the submissions were made upon his and his brother's request.

'Yea, that painting of the cityscape. Were you serious about what you said?' He was looking at her with a determined expression on his face.

Rogue, suddenly feeling nervous, checked her watch. 'Oh! Will you look at the time! It's time for lunch.' She got up, as did Belle, but turned to Bobby before heading out. 'Ah'm sorry, Boss. I might've said too much at that time…'

She excused herself, and followed Belle out the door.

Bobb frowned, getting up for the chair. 'If you were serious, Rogue, then I agree with you completely.' He shrugged a shoulder, realizing he was alone in the office now, and decided to find his brother. He was hungry, and had absolutely no money on him.

--

Rogue stepped out of the Gallery and waved goodbye to Belle, who said she needed to pick up her dry-cleaning, and therefore would be skipping lunch. Standing alone now, Rogue was debating on mooching lunch off Ororo at N'dare's when she heard someone call her name.

She turned around and saw Remy sitting on a bench a few feet away. He stood up and waved at her.

'What are ya doin' here?!' she asked, startled, as he made his way towards her.

'This be your established quality, non?' he asked, smiling. 'Having your boyfriend pick you up for lunch?'

'It was…' she frowned, putting a hand on her brow. 'How'd ya know where Ah worked?'

'I found your business card.'

Rogue groaned. She had forgotten that Remy had full rein over her apartment in her absence. _Of course… _

Suddenly, her eyes caught on Sam, who was walking by on the other side of the street. He was with another Waza employee and hadn't noticed Rogue. As Rogue watched him enter a small café, Belle's words echoed in her mind. _'You know, like making him jealous. Don't you have any hot guy friends?'_ Rogue turned her eyes on Remy, who was still smiling down at her.

'Hey Remy, you hungry?'


	4. Chapter 4: Perfect Pauper

_Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel._

**Author's Note:** Hiya, guys! The last segment in this chapter is dedicated to CaptMacKenzie, for reminding me that I forgot to explain why Remy was sent to Rogue naked, and without any accessories befitting an ideal boyfriend! (doh!)

O! And all the people worried about Darwin! No worries, he'll appear soon enough! :D

Thanks again for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

--

**Chapter #4: Perfect Pauper**

Rogue pressed her nose against the glass window, her eyes transfixed on Sam. He was sitting with another man, his perfect teeth shinning through his perfect lips. He was laughing, without a care in the world, while Rogue stood outside pining for him. As she watched him everything about her seemed to deplete. Why couldn't Sam have mirrored her affections? Standing outside the café shop, Rogue felt pathetic and childish. She could already imagine Ororo condemning her actions.

'What you be looking at, chere?' Remy mimicked her actions by pressing his nose against the window, his breath causing the glass to fog before his eyes.

'Um… nothin'…' She watched Sam pensively for a few seconds, and then let escape an audible sigh. She couldn't do it. She couldn't play the manipulative female by faking a date with Remy to make him jealous. Not only would she be demeaning herself, but she knew deep inside that he would remain unaffected. He didn't have feelings for her, and forcing affection from him was as worse as… as worse as… having a man-made boyfriend.

Remy, having followed Rogue's gaze, seemed to go rigid at the sight of the blonde-headed man. He wasn't quite sure what was happening. One moment Rogue was inviting him for lunch, and the next they were standing outside of the café, peeping in like spies. When he saw that Rogue's attention was drawn to the man sitting within, Remy felt a bristle of anger crawl up his chest. 'Who's dat?'

Rogue pushed away from the glass window, her head sagging. 'Nobody. Let's go.' She took a few steps before realizing that Remy wasn't following her. 'C'mon, Ah only have 30 minutes left for lunch.'

Remy remained rooted to the spot. 'Who's dat?' he repeated, pointing his head in Sam's direction.

'He's just some guy…' Rogue checked her watch, somewhat impatiently.

'You like him?' he asked, clearly angered by her dismissive response.

Rogue shrugged. 'So what if Ah do?'

She watched Remy's reaction with mild surprise. He had balled his hands into fists and his jaw worked in agitation. His brow was narrowed and his eyes held a look of frustrated concentration. He looked like he was about to say something, but before opening his mouth he seemed to change his mind. He turned on the spot and started to walk towards the café's entrance. Rogue's eyes widened in alarm.

'Remy! Where are ya goin'?!' She hurried after him and grabbed his arm. Pulling him away from the door, she rounded on him with disbelief written all over her features. 'What do ya think you're doin'?!'

'Remy be your boyfriend, Rogue!' he replied, vehemently, and Rogue was surprised to see the anger in his eyes. 'How dare dat boy try to seduce you!'

Rogue blinked up at him. His reaction to Sam was completely unpredictable. Was Remy showing signs of jealousy? She was aware that she had desired her ideal boyfriend to feel a little jealous, but wasn't this a bit overboard? 'Look, Remy. It's not like that…' she said, feeling the need to diffuse the situation. 'Besides, it's all in the past now. Sam doesn't even like me.'

Remy tilted his head to one side, the anger seemingly melting from his mind. He watched Rogue pout, and suddenly had the urge to wrap his arms around her. 'How come he don't like you, Rogue?' he asked, unclenching his fists. 'You be perfect.'

Rogue rolled her eyes. 'Well, he doesn't seem ta think so.'

'But Remy does, chere.' Completely belying his recent anger, Remy flashed her an affectionate smile.

'Only 'cause you're conditioned to,' she said, walking to a bench and sitting down. 'There's a diff'rence.'

Remy sat down beside her as he watched her rummaging around in her purse. 'Why do you keep saying dat, chere?'

Rogue looked blatantly into his eyes. 'Because it's true.'

Remy frowned. 'Remy don't understand.'

Rogue found her wallet and began to count her change. 'It's very simple. You're mah boyfriend because Dr. McCoy told ya to be.'

Remy nodded. 'I love you, chere.'

'Yea yea.' She put the extra coins she didn't need into her wallet and placed it back into her purse. She then turned her eyes on Remy. 'Ya love me 'cause you were told ta love me. The _idea_ of you is great, but Remy… ya can't just _become_ someone's boyfriend. Ya have ta earn it.'

'Earn it?' He scratched his head.

'Sure. Like… courtin' me the proper way.'

Remy nodded. He knew about this sort of thing. Hank had instructed him on various ways to woo a girl. Perhaps he would need to rely on some of these methods in order to conquer Rogue's heart. 'Did dat yellow boy court you de right way, Rogue?' he asked, suddenly.

'The yellow boy…?' she pouted, confused. 'Oh! Ya mean Sam? No… he nevah seemed ta have the interest.' She averted her eyes, her body sagging.

Remy placed a hand on her knee and gazed at her with gentle eyes. 'Den he be a fool chere. Remy don't care if you t'ink he be conditioned. He still knows a lovely lady when he sees one.'

A smile spread over Rogue's face. She couldn't help it. She knew it was possible that Remy's words were probably a result of long hours of memorizing romantic phrases, but regardless of that, his words had made her feel better. 'Dat's sweet, Remy.'

Remy grinned. 'Dat mean you gonna sleep wit' me t'night?'

Rogue nearly fell of the bench. 'What?! No! O' course not!'

Remy frowned. 'But I want to sleep wit' you, chere. I want to see your sleeping face at least once.'

Rogue rolled her eyes, though the smile had not faded from her lips. 'Down, boy!' She stood up and began to walk in the opposite direction of the café, jingling the coins in her hand. 'Now c'mon, let's go have lunch.' Remy followed behind her like an eager puppy.

--

Rogue returned to the gallery after lunch in high spirits. Remy had been very charming and all his flattering compliments helped her to, momentarily, forget about her broken heart. He had a very witty and somewhat crass sense of humour that she enjoyed very much. She couldn't remember specifically if she had asked for this personality trait, and wondered if Remy had qualities that were purely his own. After all, he was a real, living, breathing man. She had sent Remy home by taxi, feeling that there was less probability that he would get lost this way. He seemed reluctant to leave her, but had obediently obeyed.

As she entered her office, a smile plastered on her face, she found Emma waiting for her at her desk.

'Rogue, there you are!' She grabbed Rogue by the shoulders and sat her down in her chair. 'Who was that man?!'

Rogue, at little flustered by this sudden interrogation, straightened her skirt and fixed her position on the chair. 'What?'

'That man!' Emma flung her long locks over her shoulder. 'Don't play stupid with me. I saw you having lunch with him. He was extremely handsome!' Emma's crystal blue eyes shimmered with excitement.

'Talking about me again, eh, ladies?' Bobby said, smirking. He had entered the office unnoticed, and clearly seemed interested in their conversation.

'Who would waste their time?' Emma retorted, rolling her eyes. 'No, I saw Rogue with a man during lunch.'

'Oh really?' Bobby turned his curious eyes on Rogue. 'Didn't know you had it in you, Rogue!'

Rogue narrowed her brows. 'What's that s'posed ta mean?' It was bad enough that Emma had spotted her having lunch with Remy. Now she had to face both hers and her nosy boss's questions. How was she supposed to answer them? It was common knowledge in the office that Rogue was single, and had never had a serious boyfriend in her entire life. If she told them that she suddenly had a boyfriend now, surely the rumours would fly…

'Oh nothing,' Bobby replied. 'But you have to admit, going on a date during your lunch hour is a little beyond your romantic capabilities, right?'

Rogue glared at him.

'Is he your boyfriend?' Emma asked, before Rogue could retort.

Rogue shook her head. 'No… no. Not mah boyfriend…' She searched around for a way out of this mess. 'He's mah… er… cousin! Ah was havin' lunch with mah cousin.'

'Cousin?' Emma raised a perfect brow, obviously not convinced. 'He doesn't look anything like you.'

Rogue nodded, a little too hard. 'Ah know. Everyone says the same thang…'

'Now that makes more sense,' Bobby said, smirking. 'Rogue was just having a boring lunch date with her cousin.'

'Oh stop it, Drake,' Emma said, hopping off Rogue's desk. She turned to the other woman and whispered, loud enough for Bobby to hear, 'he's only harping on you because he has a crush on you. Don't take him seriously.'

For the second time that day, Rogue nearly fell off her seat. She gazed up quickly at Bobby, and found him ashen faced, glaring at Emma.

'Pfft, whatever, Emma!' he said, loosening his collar.

Emma chuckled and slid off Rogue's desk. 'Well you keep talking about her. It only seemed logical that you were interested.' She moseyed on back to her own desk and, sitting down, began to file her nails.

Rogue continued to stare at Bobby, making him chuckle uneasily. 'It's not that… really,' he said, 'though I have been talking about you.'

Rogue frowned. 'What 'bout?' She didn't want to dwell on his possible crush on her. He was her boss, and she had only ever seen him in that way. With her situation with Sam, and her mess with Remy, she didn't think she could handle any more drama in her life. Besides, there was very little chance that the playboy boss would have any intentions towards _her_.

'Well, it's about that painting,' he said, smoothing out his tie as he leaned against her desk.

Rogue sighed. This again? 'Look, Ah didn't mean ta insult you or nothin'—'

'I wasn't insulted,' he said, hurriedly. 'I actually agree with your opinion. See, I'm not really into the whole art thing. I've been turned off with all the garbage people are creating and claiming that it's art. That landscape… you were right. It was missing something. When I looked at it, I felt nothing. Nothing was being communicated to me. You know what I mean?'

Rogue nodded, somewhat in awe of Bobby's observations. Regardless of his job description, she had never considered him a talented art critic. He didn't seem to have any talent in the field and never discussed the works in his own gallery. 'Ah know 'xactly whatcha mean…'

'Right! I was really surprised. My brother never agrees with me on anything, and we're always showcasing the same garbage off the street.' He lent in close, so that only she could hear him. 'Like Guthrie's stuff…. You know that piece he's submitting? My dog's vomit on the kitchen floor looks more like art than his painting.'

Rogue's eyes widened as she choked back a laugh. One part of her felt offended on Sam's behalf, and she wanted to give Bobby a disdainful look. However, she also felt a little rejuvenated at hearing Sam being insulted. His unaffectionate disposition made her feel like he deserved it. She felt somewhat triumphant.

'It can't have been that bad…' she managed to say.

'Oh it was. He's ridiculous. I mean, I can't draw to save my life, but I can tell the difference between what's good and what's goddamn ugly.'

Rogue smiled, shaking her head at him. 'So you're not as unqualified as we all think ya are.'

Bobby chuckled. 'Oh, well you know. I have a reputation to maintain.' He pulled back from her. People were returning from lunch and filtering back into the office. 'Anyways, I'd better let you get back to work. We'll continue this conversation another time.'

Rogue watched as Bobby pushed off her desk and headed off to discuss things with Emma. She tilted her head, the smile still on her face. _Well… that was weird…_

--

'Y-ya ate EVERTHIN'?!' Rogue stared at her empty fridge, the only piece of nourishment coming in the form of a dried up lemon. She slammed the fridge door shut and wheeled on Remy, who was sitting cross-legged behind the coffee table.

'Dere wasn't much in dere…' he said, tapping his fingers nervously on the tabletop. 'And I was hungry…'

'So ya ate EVERYTHIN'?!'

Remy stood up, trying to maintain a look of innocent apology. 'I figured we could do de grocery shopping when you came back. Remy will make his chere de tastiest Cajun dinner in de world!'

Rogue groaned, leaning against the kitchen counter. 'Ah don't have any money ta go grocery shoppin',' she complained, throwing down her pathetic purse onto the kitchen counter. 'Ah can't believe ya ate everythin'.

'I'm sorry, Rogue,' he replied, hanging his head. 'Your boyfriend, he be a pauper.'

'Yea, why is that?' She frowned, her brow narrowed in thought. 'Ah mean, you're s'posed ta be perfect, raht?'

Remy nodded.

'Then how come ya don't have any money? Or a job? Or even a decent car?' A thought came over her. She picked up her purse and began to rummage through it.

Remy shook his head. 'I don't know…'

Rogue pulled out a black card, and squinted at the small white number at the bottom right hand corner. She grabbed her phone and began to punch in the numbers.

'Who you be calling, chere?'

'Dr. McCoy.'

Remy took a few steps towards her, excitement radiating from the sudden smile on his face. 'You mean Hank? Tell him Remy says hi!'

On the phone, Rogue found herself being forwarded to a directory, and punched in Hank's extension. Only a few bells rang before he picked up.

_'Good evening, this is Dr. McCoy speaking.'_

'Mr. McCoy? Hi, this is Rogue Darkholme.' She turned her face away from Remy, who was grinning at her expectantly.

_'Miss. Darkholme! Of course! How do you do? How is Zero-9? Not giving you any trouble, I hope!'_

'Well… that's what Ah'm callin' about,' she said, twirling the phone cord with her fingers. 'Ah thought ya said that Remy wouldn't cost me a thang. You said this was gonna be a free trial.'

_'It is, Miss. Darkholme. We haven't charged you with anything.'_

'Yea, but Ah'm constantly spendin' money on him. Shouldn't a perfect boyfriend come with accessories?'

_'Accessories?'_

'Sure! Like, clothes, hair supplies, a cellphone, a _credit card_…'

There was silence on the phone for a moment, and then Rogue thought she heard a chuckle on the other end.

_'Well, of course the perfect boyfriend would be well equipped to satisfy his girlfriend!' _said Hank, sounding as though Rogue's concern was inapplicable._ 'And I assure you that our product will be fully equipped when it is available to the public.'_

'But Remy doesn't have any of those things…' Rogue looked over at him, and found him still grinning at her.

_'Well, you must understand, Miss. Darkholme, that without the proper payments, we could not possibly equip him for a trial run. Our funding for this specific test are limited.'_

'So then… Remy isn't completely free. Ah still have ta feed him, clothes him and—'

_'Miss. Darkholme, I do believe you are forgetting one very important aspect of Zero-9's capabilities. Surely you have read his manual?'_

Rogue frowned. She hadn't touched the thing. 'Erm…'

_'Well, please do! If you had, you would know that Zero-9 is fully capable for employment. If you find him getting expensive to keep, have get him a job.'_

Rogue nearly dropped her phone. It had never occurred to her that Remy could get a job and earn an actual living. The thought of a double income sounded very appealing. 'What kinda jobs?'

_'They're listed on Zero-9's profile. He's programmed with various qualifications.'_

'Ah see…'

_'Is there anything else, Miss. Darkholme?'_

'Well… there is one thing…' Rogue watched as Remy stretched out onto the couch, running a hand through his thick hair. The grin was still plastered on his face. 'Remy… he's a bit too intense for me. Ah mean… he's all ovah me all the time.'

Again, she heard Hank chuckle on the other end of the phone. _'Of course he is, Miss. Darkholme. He is your boyfriend.'_

Rogue sighed. 'Yea, but it's really annoying. Can't ya tone him down?'

_'I'm afraid I cannot. Remy has been programmed to be very affectionate towards you. It would alter many of his other personality traits to re-write this specific program. Don't you like having his undivided attention?'_

Rogue groaned, but it went unnoticed by Hank. 'Ah would… if he was mah _real_ boyfriend.'

_'But he is your real boyfriend.'_

'No he ain't.'

Remy must have sensed the frustration in Rogue's voice, because his smile had faded and he was looking intently at her.

_'Look, Miss. Darkholme. I know it must be hard adjusting to Zero-9, but you must be more open-minded. We need your participation in order to successfully complete this test run. You wanted a boyfriend, so we gave you one.'_

'But it's so weird!'

_'I know it is. But you must try to look at him not as a programmed appliance, but as a human being. Let him spoil you. Let him adore you. You have only one month left before the trial ends. Try to take advantage of Zero-9 as much as you can. Do you understand?'_

'Yes.'

_'Good, then you must let me go. I have some work to do. Good evening, Miss. Darkholme.'_

Rogue head a click at the other end of the line as Hank hung up. Yes, she understood. She turned to look at Remy as he looked back, expectantly. From all the information Hank had provided for her over this phone call, one rang through her mind, and caused a large, happy grin to spread over her face.

'Only one month left!' She put her phone down on the receiver and did a small happy-dance in the kitchen.

Remy raised a very curious brow. 'What did Hank say?'

'He said you have an expiry!' She grabbed her purse and headed for her bedroom, skipping excitedly.

'A what?'

Rogue gave him one last grin before disappearing into her room. It wasn't that she didn't like Remy. He seemed very capable of making any girl happy, and she was sure, had he been a _normal_ human being with _normal_ thoughts and _normal_ actions, that she would be quite pleased to have him as her boyfriend. After all, he was nearly perfect in every way.

She just wasn't ready for him, especially since his feelings for her were not real, but rather, manufactured. If Remy could think of his own freewill, and cherish her for who she was and not because he was told to, Rogue was sure that she would feel differently towards him. As it happened, he was a fake and so, too, were his feelings.

She couldn't wait to return him in a month's time and go back to her old life.

--

**Author's Note:** Finally! Now that I've got all the preliminary stuff out of the way, time to move on with the plot! Remy only has one month left to prove his love for our stubborn little Southern belle!


	5. Chapter 5: Revelation

_Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel._

--

**Chapter #5: Revelation**

Belle watched as the man's shimmering red eyes darted around, taking in the environment. His eyes settled on her for a brief second. She flashed him a smile. His eyes lingered on her, and then continued with their observation of the space around them.

'C'mon, 'Ro! It'll only be temp'rary!'

Belle's eyes shifted from the man's handsome face to rest on her friend. She had been sitting at N'Dare's, sipping a margarita, when Rogue had arrived with a handsome stranger trailing behind her. Rogue had introduced him as her cousin, Remy, who would be staying with her for a month. Neither Belle, nor Ororo, had ever heard Rogue talk about a cousin named Remy, but they didn't probe the topic. Neither of them knew much about her family.

'I would love to help you, Rogue, but you must understand that it will be difficult to hire your cousin for only one month.' Ororo eyed Remy warily. He was quite alluring by appearance, but something about his odd eyes didn't quite sit well with her.

'He's seriously qualified,' Rogue persisted, brandishing Remy's resume in front of her friend's face. Rogue had been shocked, and very impressed, with the qualifications she had found on Remy's profile. There were so many jobs he could do: accountant, firefighter, business consultant, pastry chef, construction worker, teacher, exotic dancer, professional baseball player…. But she had found his qualifications for bartending the most useful. With her friend running a bar, it would be easier for Remy to get a job there as opposed to pursuing any of the others. The location was also close enough to her house for him to walk home, so she wouldn't have to spend money on transportation.

'His qualifications are rather impressive, I must admit,' Ororo mused, looking through his resume. 'But he does not have any experience.'

'That's what N'Dare is for,' Rogue urged, waving her hand around the bar. 'C'mon, Ororo! Please?'

Ororo looked from Rogue's large, pleading eyes to Remy's rugged, chiseled face. He smiled at her and Ororo found herself quite charmed by his small dimples. Perhaps a handsome face like his around the place would attract more customers. She let out an exaggerated sigh. 'Oh, alright. I will hire him.'

'Oh Ororo! Ah LOVE ya!!' Rogue flung her arms around Ororo's neck, causing the regal lady to laugh good-naturedly.

'So, Remy be your cousin?' Belle chimed in, a little annoyed that her presence had been completely forgotten. She pulled out the barstool beside her and motioned for Remy to sit down.

He did so, but not before pulling one out for Rogue and ushering her into it.

'Yea, on mah papa's side,' Rogue said, shifting nervously in her seat. She didn't like having to lie to her friends, but she had no choice. Dr. McCoy had made it clear that no one was to know of Remy's origins.

'I thought you did not know who your father was,' Ororo replied, raising a suspicious brow.

Rogue inwardly gasped, realizing that she had practically given her lie away. She tried to find an explanation, but was saved the trouble when Remy spoke.

'We don't talk about Rogue's papa,' he said, slowly. 'He be de bastard de way he abandoned his fam'ly.' His eyes darted sideways and he gave Rogue a quick wink.

'And so what brings you 'ere, den?' Belle asked, eager to draw Remy's attention to her. 'I can tell you be from N'Awlins. I was born an' raised dere. Rogue never tol' me she 'ad fam'ly dere.' She gave him a stunning smiling while whirling her drink in one hand.

'Rogue brought me here,' Remy said, matter-of-factly.

Belle laughed, causing both Rogue and Ororo to raise their brows. They recognized that laugh immediately. It was the one Belle often used when putting on her charm.

'Non, silly,' she said, smacking Remy flirtatiously on the shoulder. 'I mean 'ere, to dis city.'

'He's lookin' for work,' Rogue interrupted, sensing the confused expression on Remy's face. 'He'll be stayin' with me until he finds his own place. Ah told him Ah'd hold him up for a month.'

'I need to save de money,' Remy said, turning back to Ororo. Upon coming here, Rogue had been very severe with her instructions. He was not, under any circumstances, to reveal that he was her "boyfriend". Nor was he to reveal anything about his past, or about his connection with Sinister Projects. She had suggested that he speak only when spoken to, and even then to keep conversations to a minimal. Their goal was to make money, and save that money for his future expenses.

Ororo smiled at him. 'Well, you can start as soon as tomorrow. Although we have a lunch menu, we are busiest during the evenings. Your shift will most likely be from 6pm to 1am. I can give you five shifts a week, but you will have to work weekends.'

Remy nodded, but then pouted as he calculated the hours in his head. 'But den I won't ever get to spend de time wit' Rogue!'

Belle chocked on her drink. 'Aw! Look how 'e adores his cousin!' she cooed. Clearly this wasn't her first drink.

'We'll try ta have dinner t'gether every night,' Rogue promised, trying to divert the attention off Remy's last remark. She slid off the barstool and turned to Ororo. 'Thanks again, sugah! We best get goin'.'

'Leaving so soon?' Belle said, pouting, as Remy also stood up. 'You on'y just got 'ere.'

'Ah gotta get up early for work tomorrow,' Rogue said, hastily ushering Remy away from Belle's seductive clutches. 'An' so do you, Belle.'

Belle groaned, waving Rogue off as she and Remy slipped through the door. She turned to Ororo and smiled wickedly. 'Rogue's cousin is damn sexy.'

Ororo bemusedly returned the smile. 'Yes. Yes he is.'

--

Nathaniel Essex ran his tongue distractedly over his teeth, his eyes roving, for the fourth time, over the record sheets he held in his hands. 'This is not good, Dr. McCoy.'

He threw the report onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. His dark eyes studied Hank's face, his mind clicking away with the information it had just absorbed.

'No, indeed it is not,' Hank said, his disappointment evident in his tone of voice.

'This Rogue Darkholme. She seems to be having a hard time.' Essex leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table between him and Hank. 'Why is that?'

'She seems to find it difficult to look past Zero-9's upbringing,' Hank said, looking over his notes. 'She is well aware that Zero-9's feelings for her have been programmed, and therefore has a hard time believing anything he says.'

'Why is this problematic? Surely she wants him to act this way?'

Hank shook his head. 'I do not get it myself. She seems to prize Truth over her own emotional gratification.'

'Well, this is troublesome, Dr. McCoy. How are we to study Zero-9's performance if he is not given the opportunity to expand his capabilities?' Essex picked up the report again, letting his eyes drift towards Rogue's picture. 'When she called you, she was clearly dissatisfied with the product?'

Hank nodded. 'Yes, she felt that Zero-9 was a little too intense for her, although I have reason to believe that she does not completely dislike him.'

Essex raised a curious brow. 'Explain.'

'Well, regardless of her attitude, she has not backed away from the project. She has also been willing to spend her own money on Zero-9, and although she complained about these expenditures, she seemed satisfied that he could work for his own living expenses.' Hank took out his laptop and punched a few keys. 'As you can see here,' he added, turning the laptop at an angle for Essex to see, 'she has been conversing with Zero-9 more, and his bracelet has not indicated any red signals.'

'It hasn't indicated any other signals, either,' Essex pointed out. 'What we need is for the bracelet to shine white, and remain white whenever Zero-9 is in the girl's presence. His bracelet hasn't turned white once.'

'No, no it has not,' Hank admitted.

'I think we are wasting our time with Rogue Darkholme. We should have Zero-9 returned to us and re-programmed to the desires of another, more willing candidate.'

Hank looked up, shocked at Essex's suggestion. 'Are you suggesting that we end our trial with Miss. Darkholme?'

'I am. I believe we will have more favourable results if we changed candidates.'

'Favourable, yes. But definitely not accurate!' Hank didn't like the idea of changing candidates at all. He felt that Rogue was still the best girl for the job. Zero-9 was already in love with her, and he was sure that with a little time, Rogue would begin to reciprocate his feelings. He also liked Rogue a great deal. She was stubborn, had high expectations, and was governed by her morals. She was the perfect person to abuse Zero-9 and push him to his full potential. 'We do not want a candidate that will only express her satisfaction. Is it not, for business purposes, more beneficial to use a candidate who will point out all the faults in the product? After all, you yourself told me to abuse Zero-9 as much as was possible.'

'Hmm.' Essex gazed at Hank intently. He had a solid point. 'Very well. Then we will continue with this Rogue Darkholme.' He stood up from his chair, signaling that this meeting was adjourned. 'However, we must see results. If the bracelet does not shine white at least once by next week, then we pull the trial and find ourselves another participant.'

Hank nodded. 'It is set then.' He gathered up his things and left Essex's office, feeling slightly flustered and annoyed. Zero-9 had one week. He had one week to get his bracelet to blink white. 'And he'll need all the help he can get, poor boy…'

--

The sky was the brightest blue. Even the birds seemed to sing a little lovelier in admiration of the brilliant day. Many people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather by eating their lunch's outdoors. Rogue watched as different people casually walked past where she sat on the bench outside of Waza Gallery. Every now and again a familiar face would turn and wave, and Rogue would wave back, smiling as only a welcoming sun could impact.

The morning had been very busy in the gallery, especially since Emma had awoken that morning with even more unnecessary energy. Her ideas now were wilder, more creative, and definitely more tedious to execute. Escaping for a quiet lunch outside in the warm sun was perhaps the best course of action Rogue had taken all day. She watched now as a young mother tugged along her young daughter. The child was carrying a cone of ice cream and lapped at it happily as her mother chatted away on her cell phone. They stopped at a bench not far from hers, and the girl, catching Rogue's eye, waved timidly with a giggle. Rogue waved back with a sweet smile.

The scene instantly inspired her, and putting away her meager lunch, she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and began to sketch the little girl. The girl, who had since looked away and continued to pay her ice cream more attention, leaned against her mother, who would periodically caress the top of her daughter's head.

Rogue was nearly done her drawing when the shadow of a man fell over her page. A little annoyed with her break in concentration, she looked up and saw Bobby grinning down at her.

'That's an awesome drawing, Rogue,' he said, coming over to sit beside her.

Rogue sighed and put her pencil down. 'Why do ya always do that?'

'Do what?'

'Creep up on me like that. It's annoyin', ya know.'

Bobby chuckled. 'What's annoying is that you can draw so good!' He grabbed the sketchbook from her before she could put it away, and began flipping through the pages. 'You mind if I take a look?'

'Ya already are.' She watched him, a little apprehensively, as he slowly turned page after page of her book. She always felt a little awkward when people went through her sketchbook. It was for her like a diary, where she recorded her inner most thoughts in the form of visual manifestations. She wasn't sure if Bobby would understand any of it, but she still felt vulnerable in his presence. She realized, with mild surprise, that his opinion would matter to her. 'Well?'

Bobby continued to look through the book and only acknowledged her question when he had seen the last page. 'Wow… Rogue. You're amazing…'

Rogue took the book from him, blushing slightly. 'Nah, Ah'm just an amateur.'

Bobby shook his head. 'I don't care what you are. You're drawings are brilliant.' He took the sketchbook back from her and began to flip through the pages again, stopping a few times to show her his specific favourites. 'You have this raw touch, Rogue. Somehow – and I'm sure I don't know how you do it – you manage to capture the very essence of your subject.' He closed the book again. 'Do you always draw people?'

Rogue nodded slowly, a little overwhelmed by Bobby's continuous praises.

'Why?'

Rogue tilted her head in thought, a habit she had picked up from Remy. 'Well… Ah s'pose it's because people have more character. Ah mean, people, in general, have more stories to share than, say, a rock on a seashore. Ah like to draw people candidly, so it feels like we're voyeurs peeking into their little worlds. There's a lot of room for interpretations when ya try to capture a story through art. That's what Ah want. Ah want people ta look at mah art and formulate their own stories in their own worlds.' She turned to look at Bobby, and found him staring back at her with his lips slightly parted and his eyes a little wide. 'Uh. What?'

Bobby shook his head. 'What? Oh, nothing.' He handed back her book. For the first time in his life he found himself in awe of a woman. He had known Rogue for some time now as an employee at his father's gallery. He had never really paid any attention to her. Although she was very cute, she seemed the modest, boring type who definitely wouldn't fit into his lifestyle. He would talk to her casually, here and there, but never with any intentions. Now, however, he found himself getting the opportunity to see more into her character. He definitely liked what he was seeing.

She had depth. There seemed to be a veil of mystery hanging around her large, and noticeably vibrant green eyes. How had he never noticed them before? She was talented, but didn't brandish her work around for everyone to see. She was modest, but there was confidence there, as well. Bobby was instantly intrigued.

'You should pursue this,' he said, suddenly.

'S'cuse me?'

'Your art. You should pursue it.'

Rogue shook her head as she placed her sketchbook back into her bag. 'Nah, Ah don't think so.'

'Why not?'

'Ah dunno… just doesn't feel raht at the moment.'

Bobby nodded, pretending to understand. 'Well, when you do feel right about it, let me know. I want to be the first to buy one of your paintings.'

Rogue chuckled as she got up, slinging her bag over one shoulder. 'Ah'll be sure ta give ya a discount.'

--

Remy watched as Rogue forked some pasta into her mouth. She chewed it slowly, her head tilted to one side, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling. She had been acting this way – detached, aloof, her mind miles away – since she had picked him up after his first shift at N'Dare's. She had spoken little since.

'So,' he said, placing down his own fork. 'How was work?'

Rogue turned her eyes on him, acknowledging his presence with surprise. Remy frowned. He didn't like being ignored, especially since they were alone together in her apartment, having dinner in the stillness of the room.

'It was okay, Ah s'pose…' She played around with the meatball on her plate.

'Anyt'ing happen? You seem lost in your own t'oughts.'

Rogue didn't feel like talking, especially since she had so much on her mind at the moment, but seeing the concerned look on Remy's face made her stony resolve soften. 'Well… ya know how Ah like ta draw an' stuff, raht?'

Remy nodded.

'Well, mah boss… he saw some of mah drawings, and he really liked them.'

Remy smiled. 'Of course he would, chere! You make de beautiful drawings!'

Rogue returned the smile. 'Thanks, sugah. Anyways, before Ah left today, he said he wanted me ta try for the exhibition.'

'De big one your comp'ny be working on lately?'

Rogue nodded. 'It's sort of a big deal that he's even asked me. Ah'm not even a professional, an' the people who are exhibiting their work have been well-known artists for a long time.'

'But dat's great, Rogue!' Remy exclaimed, sitting up straight in his chair. His excitement for her success was clearly evident in his glowing eyes. 'Dis be a good chance for you!'

Rogue nodded, averting her eyes from his happy expression. 'Yea… but Ah don't know if Ah wanna do it…'

'How come?!'

'Well, Ah nevah took mah art seriously. It's always been just a hobby, an' Ah'm satisfied with that.' She frowned. 'Ah guess Ah just don't have the confidence to create somethin' for other people ta see.'

There was a moment of silence, through which Rogue fumbled around with her food, and Remy tried to formulate the words that would best fit the situation. He reached out and placed his hand on Rogue's.

'I t'ink it be normal to feel de reservations, chere,' he said, giving her hand a squeeze. 'It be normal to feel a little nervous about somet'ing you've never done before. But it also be a little exciting, non?'

Rogue turned to him, her eyes darting from one red pupil to the other. He was right. The very idea of displaying one of her own works in a gallery excited her. It was every artist's dream to be exhibited, and although Rogue had never dared to dream such a dream, she would be lying if she said that she had never thought about it.

'And dis boss of yours,' Remy continued, seeing that he now had her full attention, 'he liked your work, chere. Isn't dat somet'ing to feel de confidence for?'

'Ah s'pose…'

'I t'ink you should do it. You have de talent, you have de opportunity, and you have me to cheer for you all de way!'

Rogue blinked at him, and then suddenly started to laugh. All her fears and uncertainties seemed to vanish, and she felt a sudden happiness bubbling over her heart. She gazed at Remy with awe-filled eyes, seeing him for the first time in a new light. 'Ah really _do_ have ya, don't Ah?'

Remy grinned back at her. 'Dis Cajun always be at your service, petite,' he cooed, kissing the back of her hand.

Rogue pulled her hand away with a roll of her eyes, but the smile had remained on her face. 'Ah'll give this exhibition a try. Ah mean, Ah only have ta try. Ah still have ta come up with a concept for the painting.'

Remy nodded, and watched as Rogue began to eat her dinner with a renewed boost of energy.

'Are you going to tell de boss tomorrow dat you want to do it?'

Rogue shook her head. 'He said he'd talk ta his brother 'bout it, then let me know. Ah'll wait until then.'

Remy nodded again, and broke a piece of garlic bread. Rogue watched him curiously. Like this, having dinner together in their shared apartment, engaged in a very normal conversation, Rogue felt that she could easily forget that he was a pre-ordered, programmed boyfriend. He wasn't trying to seduce her, and he definitely wasn't trying to sleep with her. He was just being normal, and Rogue liked it this way very much.

As she ate, she wondered if Remy knew what it was to be normal. From what she had gathered through her conversations with him, and through looking over a few pages in his manual – which she had begrudgingly decided to read after being encouraged by Dr. McCoy – Remy had spent his entire life in a lab. Everything he learned and everything he was taught was focused on one specific subject – satisfying a woman – and she wondered if he had ever been allowed to think of anything else.

How much of Remy's actions were programmed, and how much of them were his own? As she watched him eat, his eyes trailing to meet hers every now and then, her heart lurched with sympathy. Up until now, she had only ever regarded Remy as a nuisance. She had rejected all his attempts to woo her, and was angered by his insistence that he was her boyfriend. Everything he said she took with a grain of salt… but now, after having this very natural conversation with him, she wondered if perhaps Remy had more layers to his personality then he let on.

'Remy, how was _your_ day at work?' she asked suddenly. She had realized with a jolt that she hadn't even inquired about his first day working on N'Dare's. Here he was, encouraging her to pursue her dreams, and she hadn't even acknowledged his first day out in the real world.

'Mine, chere?' he asked, putting down his piece of bread with surprise.

This surprise only confirmed for Rogue how selfish she had been lately. So what if he was a manipulated human being? He was still very much human. 'Sure, sugah. It musta been tough workin' with Ororo. She can be bossy when she wants ta be.'

Remy laughed, his handsome lips spreading across his handsome face. 'Tell me about it. But Remy likes her a lot. She be strict, but she be a beautiful femme.'

'Ah hope she didn' work ya too hard.'

Remy shook his head. 'Non, but I learned a lot o' t'ings. Dere were a lot o' people dere. Do dey always move around in de packs?'

'Packs?'

'Oui, like in de groups. Every person, de come wit' anot'er person.'

Understanding dawned on Rogue's face. 'Oh! You mean with friends? Yea, when goin' out, it's always more fun ta go in groups, or with ya friends.'

'Ororo and Belle, de your friends?'

Rogue nodded. 'Yup, mah best friends.'

Remy nodded in understanding. He continued to munch on his bread.

'Do you have any friends, Remy?' Rogue asked, curiously.

Remy thought for a moment. He wasn't quite clear what constituted a friend, but decided that there was at least one creature he could call his own. 'Just one, chere. Darwin.'

Rogue furrowed her brow in thought. Darwin? Where had she heard that name before… 'Oh! Your dog?' She briefly recalled Remy mentioning that he had a pet.

Remy nodded, suddenly excited that Rogue had remembered. 'He just a puppy, tho'.'

'Where is he now?'

'Wit' Hank.' A frown replaced the smile on Remy's face. 'I wonder how Darwin be doing.'

'Dr. McCoy? Is Dr. McCoy your friend?'

Remy ran a hand through his russet hair, his brow slightly narrowed. 'Hmm. Don't know, chere. He and Dr. Essex, dey created me. I don't see Dr. Essex very much, but Hank takes care o' me.'

Rogue nodded slowly. She had never met this Dr. Essex, and wondered what part he played in Remy's upbringing. 'What 'bout Dr. Grey? She seems nice.'

Remy was about to mention that he found Jean quite attractive, but a sudden zap in his brain made him shudder, and he lifted a finger to his temple where his memory chip had been inserted. 'Not as nice as you, chere,' he said, somewhat mechanically.

Rogue eyed him suspiciously. 'Remy? Are you okay?'

Remy shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. 'Sorry, Rogue. I made a mistake.'

'Mistake?' She watched as Remy lowered his hand from his temple, and her eyes widened in comprehension. In his manual, she had read a little about his memory chip. Had his original thoughts just been zapped?

_Oh no… _Rogue felt a queasy feeling in her stomach. She watched as Remy took their plates to the kitchen and began washing them at the sink. She had just witnessed the gross reality of Remy's life. He had clearly wanted to tell her something, something that had been created from his own, real thoughts. But the memory chip, through some sort of electric manipulation, had edited his thoughts and instead he had reverted to flattering her. She felt nauseous with the realization that Remy didn't even have the right to think his own thoughts. And she felt disgusted with herself for having just realized the extent of Remy's programming. She had known that he was born and bred in a lab. She had known that his education had been limited and manipulated. She had known that a memory chip had been inserted into his brain. She had known that Remy survived only to be a product for women. She had known all of this, and yet she hadn't realized the monstrosity of it all. Here she was, a willing participant in this sick game.

Remy turned from the sink and asked her if she wanted tea with her dessert. It was then that she decided. Absolute boyfriend or no absolute boyfriend, somewhere inside of him Remy had a mind, will, and heart of his own, and whether or not he would consider her his girlfriend of his own accord, she would make him realize his full, and _true_, potential. After all, his feelings for Darwin were clearly his own. Could she pull from Zero-9's depths the real Remy LeBeau?


	6. Chapter 6: An Artist’s Muse

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to marvel Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel._

**Author's Note:** Roguechere! I called Dr. McCoy about your inquiry, and this is what he had to say:

"Very keen sense of observation you have, Ms. Roguechere! But there is a clear explanation for why Zero-9 was not zapped when you suggest he should have been. Calling someone 'beautiful' does not mean that you have to feel any emotions towards him or her, or feel lustful towards them. It merely suggests that you are admiring a physical characteristic. You can call anyone beautiful without having any intentions. This Ororo person seems to be quite beautiful, and Zero-9 was merely making an observation. However, to be 'attracted' to someone means that you do have intentions towards this person. You are aroused by this person, or you have feelings attached to this person. Zero-9 was not observing that Dr. Grey was attractive, but rather that he was thinking about her _because_ she is attractive. This was not merely a comment on an observation, as was the case with Ororo. I am a bit confused as to why you think it makes more sense for him to be zapped when thinking about this Ororo person than when he is thinking about Dr. Grey. Zero-9 barely knows this Ororo, but he has lived in the presence of Dr. Grey for quite some time now. I hope this clarifies the matter for you."

Personally, Roguechere, I'm with you, girl. Dr. McCoy is such a bullshitter.

--

**Chapter #6: An Artist's Muse**

'Absolutely not.'

Bobby watched his older brother pace the length of his office. They had just been discussing the possibility of Rogue entering a piece into the exhibition, and Bobby was annoyed to see Scott so vehemently against it.

'Well, why the hell not?' Bobby ran a hand through his short hair, his aggravation evident in his tone of voice. Although he had expected Scott to flatly refuse the possibility, he still felt a little surprised. Usually Scott would ponder an idea over before giving a definite answer.

'There's just no way, Bobby. No offense to Rogue, but we don't even know if she has any talent.'

'She does! I saw her stuff with my own two eyes!'

Scott stopped pacing and fixed his eyes on his little brother. 'She's also an employee here. If we let her exhibit her work, the others will probably want an equal opportunity. And we don't even know if she'll be successful with the critics. What if her painting is met with bad reviews? Her failure will be a reflection on our gallery. We can't afford bad publicity right now.'

'You're assuming she'll suck, Scotty,' Bobby said, getting off the couch in protest. 'I told you, I already saw her stuff. She's brilliant.'

Scott raised a brow. 'Oh, _that's_ reassuring,' he said, sarcastically. 'You've never shown an interest in art before. I hardly think you're qualified to look at art _critically_.'

Bobby clenched and unclenched his hands in frustration. 'Look, I know what's good, and I know what's bad. Rogue is _good_. You have to let her try.'

'I don't have to do anything.' Scott moved to his large oak desk and sat down. 'Why are you trying so hard, anyway?'

Bobby looked down at his brother's suspicious face. 'What do you mean?'

Scott leaned back in his chair, an arrogant smile plastered on his face. 'Oh come on. What do you care if Rogue gets to share her talent with the world? There must be a hidden agenda here. What, did she promise to go out with you if you put in a good word for her?'

Bobby grimaced. Somehow he had felt that Scott would bring up his characteristic weakness. Bobby knew that his brother was making a solid point. He had never done anything without knowing that he would receive satisfactory payment in return. If a girl asked him to put a good word in for her to his brother, he would demand some compensation, and it almost always took the form of dinner and sexy lingerie. 'It's not like that this time,' he said, resentfully. And then he checked himself. Where had this feeling of resentment come from? This wasn't about having a date with Rogue or not. Was he resenting that it wasn't? Did he want to date her? _ No… no. Date that stiff? Please. I have better things to do._ 'Seriously. It's not.'

Scott raised a very suspicious brow. 'Hmm. Sure.' He reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a flyer. He held it out for Bobby to take. 'There's a local art competition taking place soon.'

Bobby took the flyer and looked it over. 'So?'

'So, have Rogue enter it with the piece she wants to exhibit. If she wins the competition, I'll consider your proposal.'

Bobby bit his bottom lip in contemplation. 'And if she loses?'

Scott shrugged indifferently. 'Then we don't talk about this again.'

Bobby sighed and shoved the flyer into his pocket. 'Fine. I'll play your game.' He made his way haughtily towards the door.

'Hey, Bobby,' Scott called after him. 'So, Rogue, eh? Really?' He wiggled his brows.

Bobby fumed as he turned around. 'It's not like that!' He pulled open the door and slammed it behind him.

Scott smirked. 'Hmm. Sure.'

--

Saturday came upon them suddenly, and with it brought the shimmering light from the startling sun. Dirty dishes clinked in the sink, crumpled blankets imposed on the couch, an old, secondhand radio blared Soul, and an easel creaked under the weight of a new, blank canvas.

Rogue picked up her charcoal and, lifting her arm, drew a faint line over the stark white gessoed surface. Her emerald eyes shimmered in the morning light as they lifted from the canvas and trailed an invisible path down one, toned arm. 'Hmm.' She stood up and pulled her hair away from her face. 'That's not raht.'

She walked towards the open stretch of windows that covered one wall of her apartment, where she had her studio set up. On a pile of large, plush cushions sat Remy, reclining in the glorious warmth that penetrated the glass behind him. He watched as Rogue approached, his eyes taking in her bulky pyjama-topped, panty-clad body. It had taken her a few days, but she was slowly getting used to his presence in the privacy of her home. This was the first time she had left her bedroom without changing into proper clothes, or slipping on her robe. And Remy was grateful for it. He watched the muscles in her long legs move beneath her silky skin as she approached him. His eyes lingered on the bottom rim of her shirt, wishing it could have been just a little shorter.

'Ah think Ah'd rather have ya without your shirt on, sugah,' she said, studying his pose.

Remy grinned devilishly. 'I t'ink I'd rat'er have you wit' out yours, too, chere.'

She chuckled. 'Uh huh, _that'd_ be the day.' She motioned for him to sit up and watched as he pulled his shirt off his body. She took it from him, laughing at the sight of his hair standing on end with the static. She smoothed it down with her own hands. 'Raht, that's bettah.' She moved back to her canvas.

'Do you want me to take de pants off, too, Rogue?' Remy asked, hopefully.

'Please don't,' she said, faking disgust. 'What's with your being-naked-all-the-time fetish, anyway?'

It had been five days since Rogue's revelation and in this short period of time she managed to give her attitude towards Remy a bit of an overhaul. Although she still cringed every time he tried to get into her bed or when he displayed an over-exertion of affection, she wasn't so annoyed with his little flirtations and meaningless romantic antics. She kept telling herself that it wasn't his fault for being this way, and that only with a cooled mind could she figure out a way to pull the true Remy out.

He shrugged. 'I just prefer bein' wit'out de clot'es. I rarely wore dem when I lived at de lab.'

In the meantime, Remy had seemed to have sensed Rogue's change of heart, and had decided to do some self-renovating himself. He became more in tune with Rogue's behaviour, and more sensitive to her needs and wants. Instead of relying on his initial, manipulated reactions to her every move, he re-thought his actions before making them, and found the results far more gratifying. Rogue was smiling more, and he couldn't remember when she had last lashed out at him in anger. To be sure, she still denied being his girlfriend and showed no indication that she liked him in that way, but Remy could sense a small change in her and this was good. Every time his thoughts moved towards her in a friendly manner, however, the memory chip sent out a shock and all thoughts of friendship vanished from his mind. He wasn't supposed to be Rogue's friend. He was supposed to be her Absolute Boyfriend.

The charcoal scratched on the surface of the canvas. Remy, encouraged by Rogue, often talked about his time in the lab. Rogue was becoming less and less surprised by what she heard, though no less disturbed.

'Ya prob'ly just wanted ta show off ya body ta Dr. Grey,' she replied, with a wink over the canvas edge.

Remy chuckled. 'I worked hard for dis body, you know. _Someone _wanted a boyfriend wit' a heartt'rob appearance.' He shuddered slightly at the shock in his brain, but ignored it.

Rogue gave Remy a mischievous grin. 'Too bad he nevah got delivered.'

'Hardy har, chere.' He yawned and stretched his rugged body in the warm sunlight.

'Don't move, Remy!' Rogue squealed, brandishing her charcoal at him.

Remy quickly lay back in his previous pose. 'Chere, how come you have to do so many of dese sketches?'

'Practice, sugah. If Ah'm gonna submit somethin' for the exhibition, Ah need ta fine-tune mah skills.'

'But you always draw me…'

'Ya complainin', Cajun?' Her eyes darted to his face, and then back to the canvas.

''Course not, chere! I know you just be needin' de excuse to see me wit' my shirt off.'

'Raht, that's exactly why,' she said, with a roll of her eyes. 'No, it's 'cause ya be mah muse, Ah s'pose.'

'Your muse?'

'An artist's inspiration.' She picked up her brush and dipped it into some paint. 'Now stop talkin' so Ah can concentrate.'

Remy relaxed into the couch, though a little uncomfortably. The music flooding the room from the small radio caused little bursts of static in his mind, and although he was beginning to get accustomed to them, he still didn't like the sensations they caused in his brain. He was beginning to see (and would get shocked in the process) that his mind was forced to divert his attention from learning experiences unnecessary to his purpose as the Absolute Boyfriend. When he heard songs, such as the one playing now, about heartbreak, or infidelity, or suffering in love, the memory chip would kick in and force his thoughts somewhere else. Clearly the people at Sinister Projects didn't want anything influencing his programming. When he had told this to Rogue the other day (for which he had received quite a severe static shock) she encouraged him to focus on the triggers. She gave him books to read – he had never read anything outside of what Hank had given him – and magazines to flip through. She exposed him to all sorts of music, and all sorts of visual manifestations of different cultures. At first this new form of education had been quite painful and very frustrating. He found it difficult to focus on them with his memory chip fritzing so vehemently. But the more he tried – or as Rogue put it, _rebelled_ – against it, the more successful he became in learning and obtaining the new information. He was a lot more confused now with the jumble of information in his mind, but Rogue seemed happy with his growth and he wanted nothing more than to please her.

He turned his eyes on her now. Her brow was furrowed and she was chewing vigorously on her bottom lip in severe concentration, a habit she was unaware of and a habit Remy liked very much. She had one leg bent up with her foot resting on the seat of her chair. He could see the green of her underwear peeking out at him. He smiled, his lips curving in sudden lust. His eyes traveled up along her extended arm, over the swell of her bosom, up her long, sensual neck, past her lips and her dainty nose, and stopped to rest on her eyes. He watched as the large green orbs darted between his body and the canvas he could not see. She was a delicious package in her entirety, but Remy liked her eyes best. There was something very honest about them, and he found that he could easily read her emotions by gazing deep into their depths.

He watched as her eyes stopped to linger on his body. She was running her tongue over her chewed bottom lip, unaware that this innocent action of motioning her battered lip was arousing her muse. Her eyes moved back to the canvas, but quickly returned to linger some more. They traveled over the contours of his chest and own his chiseled stomach. Rogue unbent and crossed her legs, suddenly aware of how her body was reacting to his.

She frowned.

She had never reacted this way to him before, and she had drawn his form many times already. There was something about the current environment… was it the music? The warm sunlight? The casual, comfortable feel of it all? There was definitely a strong mood in the air. But the mood for what?

Her eyes fell on the seat of Remy's pants, and Rogue saw the obvious signs of an arousal. She couldn't seem to pull her eyes away and Remy didn't seem to have any intention of diverting her attention.

'Hey, chere,' he drawled, easing further into the cushions. 'How 'bout you take a break from de art and come join your boyfriend for some relaxation.'

'You're not mah boyfriend,' she said, out of habit. She stood up and began putting her paint away, looking anywhere but at Remy.

'Dat's not w'at my manual says,' he joked, and felt another zap in his brain. He shuddered.

Before Rogue could retort, the phone rang. She dove for it, thankful for the distraction.

'Hiya, Rogue Darkholme speakin'.'

Remy watched as Rogue's eyes lit up as she carried on a conversation with the person on the other end. Wondering who it was, he got up and walked towards her, hoping to hear the other person's voice. Seeing him coming closer to her, and still very much aroused, Rogue turned her face away, wishing she had a portable phone.

'Enter a contest?' she said, after awhile. She continued to listen, inserting words of comprehension.

Remy watched as she talked animatedly over the phone, his arousal fading. Who was this person making his Rogue so excited?

She hung up the phone soon after, and glanced up at the clock. 'Ohmygosh! Is that the time?!' She darted towards her room.

'Who was dat?' Remy called after her.

'It was mah boss,' she replied, her voice muffled through the closed door.

'W'at did he want?'

He had to wait for Rogue to get dressed to receive an answer. When she returned, she checked her watch and frowned. 'Look, sugah, Ah gotta step out for a bit.'

Remy frowned. 'What did your boss want?'

'Ah'll tell ya when Ah get back. Ah'll bring home some dinner.'

Remy watched as she hurried to the door and slid on her shoes. 'Where you be going?'

'Just out. Ah'll be back as soon as Ah can, an' definitely before ya leave for work.' She waved him a quick goodbye and hurried out the door.

Remy watched the door close behind her. Why was her boss calling her on a weekend? Was she leaving to meet up with him now? Why hadn't she taken him along? Such thoughts flooded in and out of Remy's mind and he felt a surge of anger ripple up his spine.


	7. Chapter 7: The Mission Begins

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to marvel Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel._

--

**Chapter #7: The Mission Begins**

The small hand ticked over the number five and the entire apartment vibrated as the old clock chimed the new hour. Remy moved his eyes from the clock and back to the door. It had been six hours since Rogue had left and she still hadn't returned. In his newfound jealousy towards her boss, Remy wondered if she had forgotten all about him. She had promised to be home before he left for work, but as he turned his eyes back to the clock now, he saw that he would have to leave soon to make his six o'clock shift.

He gazed around the room idly, trying to keep his anger at bay. In Rogue's absence, Remy had distracted himself by cleaning the apartment up. He had washed the dishes from that morning, vacuumed the carpet in the living room, made up the couch, and dusted the bookshelf. He had even gone so far as to wipe down the glass of the windows. Periodically he would check the time on the clock, and each time a new burst of anger would radiate up from his stomach.

Rogue's hurried departure that morning had seemed so strange. He never recalled her mentioning before that she had a prior engagement today. Usually she was very clear about her daily schedule, but today, on her day off, her actions seemed so sudden. Remy was sure it had something to do with that phone call.

Although he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but feel jealous. This was no doubt a programmed reaction, but even so he launched right into it. What could Rogue's boss have said to pull her away from her art, and on her day off, no less?

As Remy pondered this question, his stomach growled in hungered protest. He hadn't eaten since that morning and wondered what Rogue would be bringing home for dinner… if she ever returned, that was.

As if in response it his immature thoughts, the doorbell rang. Startled, Remy got up, sprinted through the apartment, and yanked open the door.

'Oh my, someone's glad to see me.'

Remy, panting, looked down and saw startling blue eyes gazing up at him. 'You not Rogue.'

Belle raised a perfect brow, her eyes trailing up Remy's shirtless body. 'No, definitely not. Is she out?'

Remy ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His bangs flipped back over his dark eyes. 'Oui, she's out. But you can come in.' He held the door open for her.

'Don't mind if I do.' Belle flashed him a cunning smile as she squeezed passed him. 'Has Rogue been gone long?'

Remy closed the door after her and moved towards the kitchen. 'A bit.' He pulled two cups from the shelf. He was quite surprised to see Rogue's friend at the door. No one ever visited the apartment. When Rogue wanted to be with her friends, she would normally go down to N'dare's and meet them there.

'Where'd she go? I t'ought she had de day off.'

Remy shrugged, and something about his wayward attitude sparked Belle's curiosity.

'Do you want de juice, or de soda?' he asked, politely.

'I'll have de wine, if you have it.'

Remy nodded, and Belle watched as he bent down to retrieve the wine from the bottom shelf of the pantry. He had nothing on except a pair of khakis and Belle marveled at the toned muscles of his back.

'She should be back soon, though,' he said, straightening up and uncorking the bottle. He poured her a glass of red wine and passed it to her. 'Please, have a seat.'

Belle smiled appreciatively at him and moved towards the couch. 'Rogue's always been a little flighty,' she said, patting the spot on the couch beside her. 'But then, you already know dat. You be her cousin!'

Remy sat down beside her with his own wine cup in hand. He was a little confused by her remark, but then quickly remembered that Rogue had introduced him to Belle as her cousin.

'I t'ink she might be gone to see her boss' he said, candidly, whirling his drink in its cup. He recalled that Belle worked with Rogue, and the ebbing jealousy within him caused his cunning nature to seep through. Perhaps Belle knew something?

'Who? Wit' Bobby?' Belle asked, clearly intrigued. 'Now dat's news. I always knew Bobby 'ad de t'ing for Rogue.' She smiled coyly at the look on Remy's face. 'It be rumoured, but you never know.' She was somewhat curious about Remy's expression. He obviously wasn't amused by this information, but his relationship with Rogue could hardly warrant his agitation. After all, he was only Rogue's cousin. Deciding that she didn't want to talk about Rogue, and that she didn't want Remy's mood to spoil now that she had him alone, she added, 'so w'at have you been doing all day?'

Remy's mind seemed to shift gears as he comprehended her new question. 'Not'ing. Watched some TV. Worked out,' he replied, a little mechanically.

'Mmm. You must work out a lot,' Belle cooed, leaning in and very obviously checking him out.

Remy looked down at her, his brow creasing. Belle was Rogue's friend, but he had never gotten the opportunity to know her. She seemed very confident in herself and clearly displayed an interest in him. Remy found himself checking her out in return, but his memory chip reacted with a severe jolt. The wine glass fell from his hand.

'Oh my!' Belle gasped, as Remy stood up and grabbed a tissue box from the bookshelf. He bent down and started mopping up the mess.

'I t'ink you need somet'ing stronger,' she said, bending down to help him. 'Wine will leave de stain.'

Remy frowned as he went to the kitchen. He looked through the storage closet and found a bottle of carpet cleaner. 'Dis should help,' he said, returning to the couch with the cleaner in hand.

It didn't. Both he and Belle pulled away from the stain, leaning their backs against the couch. 'We can always hide de stain from her,' Belle suggested, casually sipping from her own cup.

Remy chuckled. 'I suppose it would be better to get killed later den sooner.' He gave her a playful wink.

Zap!

--

Just outside the door, a tired, ruffled haired Rogue struggled to find her keys in her purse. Hooked over one arm was a bag of groceries – the basis for the dinner she was planning on preparing for Remy – and wiggling about in her other arm was a tiny, golden puppy.

Her "prior engagement" had been an appointment with Dr. McCoy. She had called him the day after she had decided to help Remy overcome his programming. She knew it would be hard to find a place to even begin hacking into his core, but she had realized that Remy's feelings for Darwin were his own. He spoke of his pet with affection and longing and Rogue was sure this had nothing to do with his training as the Absolute Boyfriend. If he could safely use his own thoughts and emotions to react to Darwin, then surely there was a glitch in his memory chip?

Hank had been very surprised to hear that Rogue wanted to adopt Darwin. When she arrived at Sinister Projects, he asked her various questions about Remy's performance and about her satisfaction with her product. She seemed to bristle every time he referred to Remy as Zero-9 and Hank took this as a good sign.

Lately he had been feeling nervous. Five days had passed since his talk with Essex, and he only had two days left in which Zero-9's bracelet had to blink white. He couldn't directly tell Rogue of the dilemma – that would be cheating, and Essex would surely be upset if he found out. He was also slightly concerned that if Rogue knew her trial would be pulled, she would readily accept it. Hank definitely did not want to take the risk, and so instead was determined to find out how things were going between the two. The bracelet had blinked blue a number of times over the last few days and Hank wanted to know why.

Rogue had not been very forthcoming with her answers. She seemed to be in a hurry to leave, though he did notice the way her eyes darted around the office as if she were trying to observe something she had missed during her first visit.

She did admit that she was getting used to Zero-9, and that she usually enjoyed his presence. Hank was also delighted that Rogue was making an effort to please Zero-9. Why else would she be anxious to reunite him with his one and only friend?

Rogue's visit to Sinister Projects had lasted quite some time. After Hank's initial interrogation, he had then persisted in giving her instructions on how to care for Darwin. Rogue had never owned a pet before, and although Zero-9 was very capable, Hank wanted to ensure that Darwin was well taken care of. A kennel, two bags of dog food, and a little silver bowl later, Rogue had finally managed to obtain the puppy and leave.

She had then embarked on a grocery spree, which ended up being a rightful pain. Apparently Darwin wasn't used to being in public and became overly excitable at the sight of every flashy colour.

She now stood, thankfully, in front of the door to her apartment. The majority of her and Darwin's belongings remained in the lobby downstairs. There had been too much to carry and she decided it would be better to leave them there and fetch them later. She couldn't wait any longer to see the expression on Remy's face when she opened the door.

Finding her keys at last, she placed a finger on her lips to hush Darwin. He instantly stopped with his excited yelping and looked up at her sheepishly. 'It's a surprise, ya know,' she whispered, with a sparkle in her eyes. She inserted the key and pushed open the door.

--

Belle screamed as a tiny little creature bounded across the living room, ears flapping wildly, and jumped excitedly into Remy's lap. Remy stared down in shock as the little puppy jumped on his chest and started to lick his face. 'Darwin?' He lifted the puppy under its wiggling arms and held it up to his face. Instantly a look of recognition appeared in his eyes. 'DARWIN! It _is_ you!'

Belle stared incredulously as Remy snuggled lovingly with his puppy.

'How did you get here, boy?' Remy asked, and it was then that he looked up and saw Rogue standing in the kitchen. She was smiling widely at him, and held up a plastic bag of groceries.

'Dinner, anyone?' she asked, casually, and chuckled at the expression on Remy's face.

'Rogue… you did dis?' He was looking at her disbelievingly.

'O' course Ah did,' she replied, and turned around to put away the groceries. 'Where else did ya think Ah was? Ah thought maybe this would be the best way ta get ya off mah ba—' But before she could finish her sentence, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her back against a strong chest. She gasped slightly as she felt Remy lean his chin against her shoulder, his lips pressed against her ear.

'Chere,' he breathed, and she felt a tingling sensation flow warmly through her body. 'You have no idea how much dis means to me.'

'Uh, well, it was nothin',' she said, breathless. She pulled forward and turned around. Remy stood before her, Darwin in one hand, his other lying on her hip. His ruby eyes were soft and affectionate as he gazed at her, and Rogue found her demeanor melting.

'Wait, so you two be _cousins_, right? Because I don't greet my cousin like _that_.'

Rogue leapt back, noticing Belle's presence for the first time. She inwardly shook her body out of its reverie, avoiding Remy's eyes completely. She could feel him still gazing at her. 'Ya prob'ly never done them a good deed, that's why,' she replied, turning back to the task of putting the groceries away. She was glad her voice was behaving normally, even if her body wasn't.

Belle raised a very suspicious brow. 'Really.'

Rogue nodded, and then gave her friend a reassuring grin. 'Seriously, Belle. Now, are ya stayin' for dinner or what?' She was a little surprised to see Belle in her apartment, and wondered briefly what she was doing here. Then, quite suddenly, she noticed the way Belle kept throwing her eyes towards Remy – a coy, rather lustful look in her eyes. 'Remy…' she said slowly, still not looking at him. 'Ah left a bunch of stuff in the lobby downstairs. Can ya go and get it?'

Remy nodded and, with Darwin tucked safely under his arm, left the apartment as he chided himself for ever assuming Rogue would cheat on him.

When he had gone, Rogue turned and gave Belle a rather curious look. 'You're droolin', ya know.'

Belle blinked, and then started to laugh. 'You cousin be seriously hot.'

Rogue chuckled. _Ah know…_ she thought, and passed Belle the blender, who begrudgingly started to help Rogue with dinner. As they worked, Rogue wondered how long Belle and Remy had been alone together. It was obvious that Belle was attracted to him…

A small smile crossed Rogue's face. This was good. Perhaps Belle would be that first step in helping Remy conquer his own thoughts. If Remy manifested feelings for Belle, then certainly that would belie his programming? Rogue knew that Remy was in love with her because he had to be. But what if Remy _truly_ fell in love… with his _own _heart?

Rogue gave Belle a sideways glance. The possibility was certainly there, and yet she couldn't help but feel a little… _a little what?_ Wasn't there also the possibility that Remy could fall – _truly_ – in love with _her_? She felt that similar warm glow radiate through her body at the thought, but then just as quickly dashed it away. She had to focus on her task, and it would be much easier doing so if Belle was in the picture.

_And so… the mission begins…_ she thought to herself, as she sliced open her onion.

--

**Author's Note:** GASP! Say what?! I KNOW! Rogue is such a moron sometimes, but she has her heart in the right place. The question is, where does Remy's heart lie?


	8. Chapter 8: Green Monster

_Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel._

**Author's Note:** Ugh! Sorry for the delay! My vacation is officially over and work is overwhelming. I promise to update at least once a week. I promise. Really!

--

**Chapter #8: Green Monster**

Bobby found Rogue in the main exhibition room at Waza Gallery. The new day's sun shimmered rays of light through the high windows, bathing the floor, the stark white walls, and the auburn curls in her hair. She had her back to him and he wondered what it was she was doing here all by herself. She seemed to be gazing up at the windows, her brows furrowed, her lips in a pout.

He had half a mind to call out her name, but he deterred. Something about the way her face was lifted, and the way the sun was glistening on her nose – just so – made his body lose motion and his heart skip a beat.

Skip a beat?

He frowned. _Say what…?_ He had never reacted this way to Rogue before. He had never seen her as anything but an employee. And yet here he was, spying on her from the shadows, his heart skipping a beat just by being in her presence. He had not stopped thinking about her since he had made that phone call telling her about the competition. The sound of her voice over the phone had been like a lulling song, and he found his mind occupied then after with thoughts of her. For some odd reason he felt attracted to her. She was plain, boring, and far too modest for his taste, but she had an alluring disposition that called to him. He wanted to know her. He wanted to experience her art. He wanted to remain in her presence. Forever.

Forever?

Bobby squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if in an attempt to rid himself of such thoughts. _She's just a girl…_ He took a bold step into the room and cleared his throat. He could see Rogue's reverie shatter as she turned to acknowledge his presence.

'Hey, Boss. What are ya doin' here so early in the mornin'?'

Bobby chuckled nervously as he ran a hand through his hair. 'C'mon, gimme a little credit, will ya, Rogue?' Rogue's lips spread into a wide smile and Bobby checked himself. _Still breathing? Good_. 'What are _you_ doing here?'

She shrugged up one shoulder. 'Ah'm not sure. Ah guess… Ah guess Ah was just lookin' for some inspiration.'

Bobby nodded. 'For the piece you want to submit to the contest?'

Rogue nodded with a frown. 'Ah've been gettin' into the mood for paintin' again… but the subject matter still eludes me. Ah'm not sure what ta paint.'

'Hmm.' Bobby frowned at seeing her frown. 'I'm sorry for putting all this pressure on you, Rogue.'

Rogue shook her head and gave him an encouraging smile. 'It's not you, sugah. Ah really 'preciate ya givin' me this opportunity.'

Bobby felt as if a warm breeze had wrapped itself around his heart at seeing her smile. He averted his eyes without meaning to.

'OHMYGOD, Emma! Dat be a BRILLIANT idea!!'

Bobby nearly jumped at the sound of Belle's loud, cheerful voice. A second passed and the two women sauntered into the room, both carrying on them the scent of heavy perfume, freshly sprayed hair, and shiny leather purses. Bobby chanced a glance at Rogue and saw her smiling in welcome at her co-workers.

He was relieved, and at the same time annoyed, at seeing Emma and Belle invade their space. He was relieved because he was beginning to feel a sudden, alien nervousness at being alone with Rogue, and annoyed because he really wanted to talk with Rogue further.

'Wow, what are _you_ doing here?' Emma asked, rounding on Bobby.

'Learning to play the banjo, can't you tell?' he replied, sarcastically.

Emma rolled her eyes. 'It's not often that you grace us with your presence this early in the morning.'

Bobby shrugged dismissively.

'What were you so excited 'bout just now?' Rogue asked, and Bobby was disheartened to find her full attention being given now to her female friends.

'Emma was just suggesting dat we take de weekend off and go some place nice,' Belle relayed excitedly. 'I t'ink we should hit de new Hot Spring Resort dey opened recently.'

Emma nodded enthusiastically. 'We have all worked quite hard on this exhibition project, and there's nothing left now for us to do except promote the show and wait for the entries to come in. I think we deserve a nice break to reward our efforts.'

Rogue nodded in agreement. 'A small trip would be kinda nice.'

'Wouldn't it?!' Belle exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her excitement seemed infectious, and soon Rogue, too, was beginning to feel a cheerful sensation overwhelming her. It had been so long since she had gone on a vacation. She had worked diligently since arriving to the city, and felt that a weekend of relaxation was well overdue.

'Now now, just wait a minute,' Bobby interrupted, as the girls continued to formulate extravagant plans. 'You're gonna have to get your leaves approved by Scott, and I don't think he'll let all three of you off at the same time. We've been busy lately.'

'Oh please,' Emma replied, exasperated. 'I've already got permission. It's really hard for Scott to say no to me.'

She gave both Belle and Rogue a wink, for which they both gawked at her. Surely Emma didn't have some sort of influence over their Boss? And since when was she on a first-name basis with him?

'You did?!' Bobby asked, clearly shocked. 'But—'

'You're welcome to come along,' Emma interrupted him. 'After all, it will be nice to have a man around with just us three girls.'

'Hmm.' Bobby completely forgot about his recent annoyance at Emma's request and felt his familiar grin slide into place. 'Can't say I've ever turned down such an alluring offer before,' he drawled, and his eyes – much against his control – fluttered to Rogue. She gazed back at him with a quizzical look on her face.

'OH!' Belle turned to Rogue. 'And you can bring Remy!'

Emma raised a brow. 'Remy?'

'Uh huh! You saw him. Remember? Dat time wit' Rogue during lunch.'

'OH!' Comprehension dawned on Emma's face. 'You mean Rogue's boyfriend?'

Rogue, who had been completely startled by Belle's request, now felt the blood rush to her face. 'He's not mah boyfriend,' she said, a little too vehemently. She could feel Bobby's eyes boring into her and felt a slight unease envelop her. 'Ah told ya, he's mah cousin.'

'Uh huh,' Emma said, tilting her head to one side and examining Rogue's flushed face.

'He really is,' Belle added, determinedly. 'I had de dinner wit' him and Rogue last night. I be sure he would love to come along.'

'Doesn't he have a job?' Bobby asked, and he was surprised to find his tone unpleasant. He wasn't sure why he was mad, but he could feel a rage creep up inside of him. He had been startled – and then annoyed by the fact that he had been startled – when Emma had mentioned Rogue's boyfriend. Surely she wasn't spoken for? Even when Belle assured the two that the man was, in fact, Rogue's cousin, the jealousy in Bobby's heart would not fade. He recalled a conversation earlier in which this man named Remy was mentioned, and although Bobby wasn't usually the jealous type, he had the feeling that he and this Remy wouldn't get along. 'He probably won't be able to make it if he's working,' he added, upon seeing the confused and suspicious looks on the girls' faces.

'Ah'm sure it'll be alraht,' Rogue said, slowly. She was looking at Belle, and recognized the excitement in her friend's eyes. The trip in general seemed to be a very good idea, and Rogue felt that perhaps a different setting and environment might inspire her to create her work of art. At the same time, if Remy came along, she could also try to accomplish her mission of breaking his conditioning. Surely a remote setting and a beautiful Belle could deter his thoughts?

Bobby seemed dejected at hearing that Remy would be invited to join them, but neither of the girls noticed. They were now busily engaged in organizing the event. He let out a long sigh, ran a hand through his unkempt hair, and strode out of the room undetected and unnoticed.

--

Remy lifted his shoulder in an attempt to nudge Belle's sleeping head off his body. His eyes kept darting to where Rogue sat across the aisle from him, but she seemed oblivious to his presence. Her nose was buried in a book and his attempts to draw her attention seemed futile.

The bus they were on creaked dangerously beneath their feet as it rattled up the steep hill on which the Hot Spring Resort was located. Emma and Bobby, who were sitting at the back of the bus, groaned in protest as yet another bump in the road caused them to hit their heads on the low ceiling.

'Are we there yet?' Bobby wined, rubbing his scalp.

Rogue let the book drop into her lap and gazed out of the window. She watched as the trees passed in rapid succession while the large, voluptuous clouds drifted at a lazy pace. In the reflection on the glass she could see Remy fixing the position of Belle's head on his shoulder. A deep sigh escaped her lips, followed quickly by a confused shudder.

When Belle had taken the seat next to Remy's, Rogue had felt confident in her plan to unite her friend with her would-be boyfriend. She had one month – no, only three weeks – to break Remy of his conditioning. Belle seemed quite anxious to gain Remy's attention, and so Rogue had felt that perhaps her mission would be accomplished sooner rather than later. However, as the journey on the bus progressed, and she saw the way Remy lavished his attention on Belle, and how Belle would create any excuse to touch him, Rogue couldn't help but feel… _territorial_. Even now, as she watched Remy smooth a strand of blonde hair from Belle's sleeping face, she felt an awkwardness in her disposition.

To be fair, she had instructed Remy back at the apartment to be quite accommodating where Belle was concerned during this trip. He had seemed confused by her request, but she had assured him that it was because Belle was her best friend and she didn't want her feeling neglected. Perhaps it was because of his obedient loyalty to her, or perhaps because he really did enjoy Belle's company, but Remy was following through with her instructions with extreme dedication. He had given in to all of Belle's whims.

Remy was doing everything Rogue had asked of him, and yet when she saw just how much attention he was giving to Belle, it was she who felt neglected and ignored. Was it because she was so used to his undivided attention that she was beginning to miss it now that it wasn't there?

_Ridiculous_, she thought to herself, as she pulled her eyes away from the reflection on the window glass and picked up her book. _You should be thrilled he ain't droolin' all ovah ya, girl._

Thrilled.

--

They reached the top of the hill only to find it deserted. There was no resort, no hot spring, and not another living soul. Instead there were trees. And trees. And more trees.

'Uh… are you sure there was supposed to be a Hot Spring Resort up here, Belle?' Bobby asked, shielding his eyes from the penetrating sun as he gazed towards the horizon.

They were standing in the middle of the dirt road with their luggage splayed at their feet. The dust that had been kicked off the ground as their bus had rattled away now seemed to settle slowly around them.

'I'm sure dis was de place,' Belle replied, uncertainly.

'Maybe we need ta walk a bit further…' Rogue suggested.

'We're at the top of a small mountain,' Emma said, clearly put out. 'We can see for miles. There's no resort.' She had half a mind to ream Belle out for her failure but decided against it. A confrontation was not what they needed right now. 'The next bus won't be up here for another 18 hours. We might as well camp.'

'WHAT?! Another 18 hours?!' Bobby gaped at her.

'Yes. We're in the middle of nowhere. There's no point for a bus to travel up here on a regular basis.' She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and checked the screen. 'And no reception. There's nothing we can do.' Emma picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. 'Come on, let's find a nice place to roost.'

'Roost? What dat mean?' Remy asked, as he trotted up beside Rogue, who was trying to keep up with Emma's angry strides.

'Ummm… "hang out", Ah s'pose. There's nothin' we can do until the next bus arrives.' Rogue looked over her shoulder and found Belle trailing behind them, her mouth in a resolute pout and her eyes downcast. 'Poor Belle. She must feel terrible, an' it's not her fault. You go on ahead, Remy. Ah think Ah'll hang back and try ta make her feel better.'

'Wait,' Remy said, and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Remy will do it.'

'Do what?' But before she could find an answer, she saw Remy fall back and wrap an arm around Belle's shoulder. Belle looked up and smiled at him.

_Raht…_ Rogue gripped her bag a little tighter and hastened her steps.

--

'It was a complete nightmare, 'Ro!' Rogue slammed her cup down on the counter harder than she had meant to. 'First, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then, it started to rain, so we couldn't even light ourselves a fire. And then the animals started to come out when it got darker. And then—' She stopped when she noticed the look on Ororo's face. 'What?'

'Remy does not seem to be complaining…'

Both women turned to watch Remy as he played with Darwin. He would toss a bottle cap up in the air and Darwin would attempt to catch it before it fell to the ground.

'Well he wouldn't, would he? He was too busy bein' entertained by Belle ta notice our predicament.'

Ororo raised a brow, detecting a heavy amount of bitterness in Rogue's tone of voice. 'Hmm.'

'What?' Rogue tore her eyes off Remy and glared at her.

'Oh, nothing,' Ororo said, trying to conceal a small smile. 'I just thought I saw the green monster lurking in the shadows.'

Rogue scowled. 'Ah'm not jealous. Remy's not mah boyfriend. He's mah cousin.'

Ororo raised a perfect brow. 'I am aware of that. I did not say otherwise.'

A fierce blush flushed over Rogue's face. She turned her eyes away sheepishly. 'Ah'm not jealous,' she repeated, softly, and wished it were true. She felt guilty for her thoughts because she knew she was the one orchestrating the relationship that was budding between Remy and Belle. She also knew that Remy was in physical pain every time he lavished his attention on Belle. The memory chip continued to shock him and he had complained earlier, when they had deposited their bags in their apartment, of a severe migraine. He was doing what he was doing because Rogue had asked him to, and yet here she was getting mad because he was… what? _Listening_ to her? She felt stupid. Everything was going according to plan. Belle was clearly swept away by Remy's charm, and Remy, regardless of how severe and confused his memory chip was reacting, had obeyed Rogue's instructions without question. Why, then, did she feel bitterness whenever she thought of Remy and Belle together? She shook her head as if to rid herself of such thoughts. 'By the way, thanks for takin' care o' Darwin while we were away.'

Ororo poured Rogue another drink. 'Do not mention it. Darwin is a sweet little thing.'

Rogue took a sip, her eyes trailing now and again to where Remy sat. These looks did not escape Ororo's observant eye. But she said nothing.

'How is your painting coming along?'

Rogue shrugged. 'Mah boss an' Ah talked it over some while we were stranded. He thinks Ah should do a portrait.'

'Oh?'

'Yea. Ah told him before, when he first saw mah art, that Ah liked painting people best. He says Ah should stick with what Ah like to do. He says it'll help me focus.'

'I think he is right.'

'So do Ah.' Her eyes misted over as she recalled Bobby's excitement in her art.

'What is this Boss of yours like?' Ororo asked.

Rogue thought for a moment. 'Well, he's kinda immature. Ah mean, his father owns the gallery, but his older brother does most of the work. Ah s'pose he's a bit spoiled.' She took another sip of her drink. 'But he's a good guy. He's funny, and kind, and he can be pretty genuine when he wants ta be. Ah like him a great deal.'

'I see.'

Rogue's eyes met Ororo's momentarily, and then she blushed. 'It's not like that, 'Ro!'

'Like what?' Ororo asked, innocently.

'Like what you're thinkin'!'

'And how do you know what I am thinking?'

'Ah just do.' She slipped from her stool and grabbed her purse. 'Anyway, we better get goin'. It's gettin' dark.' She called to Remy, and he stood up with Darwin tucked under his arm.

'I will see you two later, then,' Ororo said, allowing Rogue to run from this conversation.

Remy waved to her before following Rogue out into the crisp, night air. 'Where we be going now?' he asked, as he and Rogue crossed the street.

'Home.'

Remy frowned. He could feel tension in the air and wondered why it was there. 'Hey, chere. W'at's wrong?'

'Nothin'.'

He continued to frown. 'Did I do somet'ing wrong? I tried to do everyt'ing right wit' Belle.'

'You did. You treated her very well.'

Remy beamed. 'So Remy did good?'

Rogue sighed. 'Yea. Ya did. You were perfect.'

Remy grinned foolishly and swung his free arm over Rogue's shoulder. 'So… w'at be de reward?'

'Reward?' Rogue tried to shrug him off her shoulders, but he squeezed her tighter.

'For doing de good job.' He gazed down at her. 'Let's have sex, chere.'

'What?!' She managed to release herself from his hold and glared at him.

Remy frowned and scratched his head. 'You said Remy did good.' He shifted Darwin from one arm to the other. 'You should sleep wit' Remy now.'

Rogue blinked. And then, she laughed. She couldn't help it. Here she was, in a bad mood because Remy had spent the last 24 hours hanging out with Belle – upon her orders – and he was asking her to sleep with him. It was his conditioning, of course, that was making him ask her such a question, but she couldn't help feeling relieved.

'W'at?' he asked, as he gazed quizzically at her.

'Nothin',' she said, grinning. She reached out and grabbed his hand as they continued to walk towards their apartment. 'How 'bout Ah cook ya a nice meal instead?'

Remy felt disappointed, but smiled nonetheless. He knew he wouldn't get his wish tonight, but he was glad that Rogue was no longer upset. Whatever it was, he had made it go away, and he was glad for it.

Somewhere, far away, a small little icon blinked white.

--

**Author's Note:** Alrighty, so we have an obviously messed up Rogue here. I mean, on the one hand, she's trying to break Remy of his conditioning, but on the other hand, she gets upset when her plan WORKS. Not to mention the fact that she is completely playing with Belle's emotions!

Jeez, I've never written such a selfish and confused Rogue before. Such fun!

O! And I haven't forgotten about Sam Guthrie… though I almost wish I had. lol


End file.
